-^H  OF  PHWGjy, 

BSISSg 


AMOS: 


AN    ESSAY    IN    EXEGESIS, 


/FY 


H.   G.   MITCHELL, 

Professor  in  Boston  University. 


REVISED  EDITION, 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON,   MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

'^\i  i^ibcrstUe  Press,  Camliritifle 

1900 


'Z^*^ 


Copyright,  1893  and  1900, 
By  H.  G.  MITCHELL. 


PREFACE. 


This  book  first  appeared  in  1893  as  a  private  ven- 
re,  with  the  imprint  of  Messrs.  N.  J.  Bartlett  &  Co., 
Boston.  That  edition  having  been  exhausted,  I 
em  warranted  in  hoping  that,  if  regularly  placed 
Don  the  market,  my  work  will  find  even  wider  peru- 
.1  and  appreciation.  Hence  its  reappearance  under 
le  present  auspices. 

It  has  not  been  necessary  to  make  many  or  important 
langes.  Of  course,  the  typographical  errors  that  I 
ive  been  able  to  discover  have  been  corrected.  For 
le  convenience  of  the  majority  of  American  students, 

have  adapted  the  references  to  Gesenius'  Hebrew 
■  rammar  to  the  Second  Ajnerican  Edition.  The  new 
.ngHsh  edition  is  too  expensive  for  general  use.  I 
ave  made  but  one  important  modification  in  the  book. 

formerly  held  and  taught,  that  Joel  and  Obadiah  pre- 
ided  Amos.  I  now  feel  forced  by  the  evidence  in 
le  case  to  assign  them  both  to  a  much  later  period. 

have  therefore  revised  all  my  references  to  them 
•om  this  standpoint.  A  few  additional  notes  will  be 
mnd  in  an  Appendix  at  the  end  of  the  volume. 


iv  PREFACE, 

Those  who  wish  to  consult  a  complete  bibliograp 
of  the  subject  of  the  prophecies  of  Amos  will   fi 
one  in   Gunning's  Commentary.      I   append   a  list 
the  more  recent  and  important  works  to  be  consults 

OORT,  De  Profet  Amos,  Theologisch  Tijdschrift,  XIV.  1880. 

Steiner,  Die  ziv'dlf  klemen  Propheten,  1880. 

Hoffmann,   Versuch  zu   Amos,  Zeitschrift  fur  alitestamentlii 

Wissenschaft,  III.  1883. 
VoLLERS,  Das  Dodekapropheton  der  Alexandriner,  ZAW,  L 

1883. 
Gunning,  De  Godspraken  van  Amos,  1885. 
Orelli,  Strack  and  Zockler's  Kurzgefasster  Kommeniar,  1888. 
Wellhausen,  Skizzen  und  Vorarbeiten,  V.  1892. 
Smith,  G.  A.,  The  Book  of  the  Twelve  Prophets,  1896. 
Driver,  Joel  and  Amos,  in  the  Cambridge  Bible,  1897. 
NowACK,  Die  kleinen  Prophet  en,  1897. 
Hartung,  Der  Prophet  Amos,  1898. 

H.  G.  M. 

Boston  University,  January,  1900. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Preface iii 

Introductory  Studies: 

Amos  of  Tekoa i 

The  Date  of  Amos 12 

The  Book  of  Amos 22 

Appendix.  —  Analytical  Table 33 

Translation  and  Comments: 

Translation 36 

Comments         .        , 49 

Supplementary  Studies: 

Amos  and  the  Hexateuch 176 

The  Theology  of  Amos 185 

Amos  among  the  Prophets 199 

V 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES. 


>J«ic 


AMOS  OF  TEKOA. 


On  a  high  hill  about  six  miles  south  of  Bethlehem, 
and  twice  as  far  from  Jerusalem,  lies  a  mass  of  ruins 
of  which  the  Arabic  name  is  Tekua.  They  are  the 
remains  of  Tekoa,  the  home  of  the  prophet  Amos. 

The  site  is  plainly  visible  from  Bethlehem,  whence 
Jerome  ^  says  that  he  used  to  see  it  daily ;  but  it  is 
difficult  of  access  and  consequently  seldom  visited  by 
travelers.  It  is  most  easily  reached  from  Bethlehem. 
The  path,  which  is  plain  enough,  but  in  many  places 
very  rough  and  stony,  leaving  Jebel  Ferdis,  or  the 
Frank  mountain,  where  Herod  the  Great  loved  to  live 
and  finally  chose  to  lie,  on  the  left,  brings  one  in  about 
an  hour  to  wady  Khureitun.  At  this  point  it  is  joined 
by  another,  and  a  worse  one,  from  Artas  and  the  Pools 
of  Solomon,  and  from  this  point,  by  descending  the 
wady,  the  labyrinth  which  has  been  wrongly  identified 
with  the  cave  of  Adullam  (i  Sam.  xxii.  i)  can  be 
reached  in  a  few  minutes.  Crossing  the  wady,  the  pil- 
grim to  Tekoa  ascends  a  tributary  gorge,  sometimes 
following  the  stony  bed  at  the  bottom  of  it,  and  some- 

1  See  his  introduction  to  the  book  of  Amos. 


2  AMOS. 

times  riding  along  a  narrow,  slippery  ledge  at  its  side, 
on  which  even  a  Syrian  horse  can  hardly  find  a  footing. 
After  half  an  hour  the  path,  which  has  hitherto  main- 
tained a  southerly  direction,  suddenly  turns  eastward, 
and  at  the  end  of  another  half-hour  it  emerges  into 
a  hollow  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  Tekoa  was 
situated. 

The  view  from  the  top  of  the  hill  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  Palestine.  Toward  the  north  and  the  south  the 
ground  slopes  off  into  wadys  that  open  into  the  Dead 
Sea.  Northward,  beyond  wady  Khureitun,  rises  the 
symmetrical  cone  of  Jebel  Ferdis.  Beyond  it  is  Beth- 
lehem. The  Mount  of  Olives  also  is  visible,  but  Jeru- 
salem is  hidden  by  intervening  hills.  Toward  the  east, 
in  the  foreground,  are  the  naked,  conical  mountains  of 
"  the  desert  of  Tekoa  "  ;  beyond  them,  about  twelve 
miles  distant,  and  more  than  four  thousand  feet  below 
them,  glistening  like  molten  silver,  lie  the  waters  of  the 
Sea  of  Salt ;  while  in  the  background,  suffused  with  a 
purple  light  that  makes  their  ragged  masses  beautiful, 
the  mountains  of  Moab  rise  against  the  eastern  sky. 
The  outlook  westward  is  not  so  grand,  but  it  has  a 
beauty  of  its  own,  especially  in  the  foreground,  where 
lies  outspread  a  broad  and  shallow  valley,  whose  green 
grain  and  brown  fallow  give  a  charming  variety  to  the 
prospect. 

Such  are  the  surroundings  of  Tekua.  The  hill  itself 
is  covered  with  the  ruins  of  the  city  and  fortress  by 
which  it  was  once  crowned.  These  ruins  make  a  pecul- 
iar impression  upon  the  traveler.  They  look  more  like 
the  preparations  for  a  city  than  the  remains  of  one  that 
has  been  destroyed.     In  fact,  they  have  been  so  little 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  3 

disturbed  since  the  city  was  destroyed  by  the  Turks  in 
1 138  that  it  seems  as  if  it  would  be  possible,  in  a  short 
time,  to  make  them  habitable.  Were  the  place  restored 
without  the  church,  whose  baptismal  font  ^  is  the  most 
interesting  relic  of  its  former  importance,  one  could 
with  little  difficulty  transport  one's  self  into  the  eighth 
century  before  Christ,  and  imagine  one's  self  contem- 
porary with  the  prophet;  for  the  hills  have  not  changed, 
and  the  people  of  the  region  cannot  be  much  unlike  the 
former  inhabitants. 

From  the  hill  one  can  see  the  black  tents  of  the  Arabs 
dotting  the  landscape.  There  is  always  a  cluster  of 
them  under  its  brow,  on  the  eastern  side,  near  the  cis- 
terns which  once  supplied  Tekoa  with  water.  At  these 
cisterns  still  gather  picturesque  groups  of  women,  to  fill 
their  jars  and  exchange  their  simple  gossip.  In  the 
fields  toward  the  west,  or  on  the  surrounding  slopes,  the 
men  are  meanwhile  plowing,  or  sowing,  or  watching  their 
flocks :  sheep,  white  or  brown,  or  goats  as  varied  in 
color  as  Jacob's  motley  flock,  with  now  and  then  a 
stunted  cow  or  tiny  donkey  among  them.  Sometimes 
one  of  these  shepherds  is  seen  against  the  sky,  as  he 
stands  like  a  statue  on  a  projecting  rock,  wrapped  in  his 
sheepskin  jacket  and  armed  with  a  stout  club  or  a  rusty 
musket,  while  the  sheep  or  the  goats  graze  about  him. 
Sometimes  one  is  heard  whiling  away  the  hours  by 
playing  upon  a  rude  pipe,  whose  notes  his  flock  seem  to 

1  Robinson  (^Researches,  I.  486)  describes  it  as  follows :  "  Near  the 
middle  of  the  site  are  the  ruins  of  a  Greek  church ;  among  which  are 
several  fragments  of  columns,  and  a  baptismal  font  of  rose-colored  lime- 
stone verging  into  marble.  The  font  is  octagonal,  five  feet  in  diameter 
on  the  outside,  four  feet  on  the  inside,  and  three  feet  nine  inches  deep." 


4  AMOS. 

enjoy  as  well  as  he.  They  are  fine  fellows,  these  shep- 
herds, from  a  physical  point  of  view,  —  tall  and  straight, 
with  bright  eyes,  clearly  cut  features,  and  a  bearing  that 
betrays  a. consciousness  of  the  strength  bred  in  them  by 
their  free  and  simple  life. 

Amos  must  have  looked  much  like  one  of  these  Arab 
shepherds.  He,  too,  was  brown  and  sturdy.  He,  too, 
was  clad  in  sheepskin  when  he  led  his  flocks  to  pasture. 
It  was,  perhaps,  when  he  was  enjoying  the  grandeur  of 
the  prospect  from  one  of  his  native  hills,  or  soothing  his 
soul  with  such  music  as  he  could  make,  that  the  Spirit 
made  him  conscious  of  a  higher  destiny  and  forced  him 
to  leave  his  sheep  to  be  a  prophet  of  Jehovah. 

This  call  did  not  find  Amos  unprepared,  for  his  pre- 
vious life,  besides  cultivating  the  strength  and  vigor  of 
his  physique,  had  developed  certain  internal  qualities 
that  fitted  him  for  his  new  vocation.  What  these  were 
may  be  gathered  from  even  a  superficial  perusal  of  his 
book.  A  more  thorough  study  of  it  impresses  them 
upK)n  the  imagination  until  they  become  as  distinct  as 
the  features  of  a  well-remembered  face. 

The  first  element  in  the  prophet's  character  which 
strikes  the  reader  of  his  prophecies  is,  perhaps,  its  sim- 
J  E>licity.  This  characteristic  is,  in  fact,  the  key  to  the 
book,  the  one  without  which  Amos  would  probably 
never  have  heard  the  call  that  he  received.  It  appears 
in  his  evident  hatred  of  all  sorts  of  human  grandeur. 
Notice  how  often  he  uses  the  word  palace}  and  how 
persistently  he  threatens  such  abodes  with  destruction. 
This  characteristic  appears  also  in  his  sympathy  for 

1  i.  4,  7,  10,  12,  14;  ii.  2,  5j  iil  9  bis,  IQ,  ii,  2i;  viii.  3.  See  also  iii.  15; 
V.  9,  II;  vi.  II. 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  5 

simple  people.  The  words  lowly  and  needy  are  almost 
as  frequent  as  palace}  Finally  he  displays  the  simplic- 
ity of  his  character  in  his  picture  of  the  future  of  his 
people  (ix.  1 1  ff.).  It  is  the  humble  house  of  David  that 
is  to  rule  the  Hebrews,  and  it  is  the  simple  products  of 
a  fertile  soil  that  are  to  constitute  the  wealth  of  the 
nation.  The  simplicity  of  Amos  must  have  been  rooted 
in  his  nature,  otherwise  it  would  hardly  have  become  so 
thoroughly  characteristic ;  but  it  is  easy  to  see  that  his 
circumstances  must  have  greatly  favored  its  develop- 
ment. Even  if,  as  some  suppose,  he  owned  the  flocks 
and  groves  that  he  tended,  he  was  probably  compara- 
tively poor.A  A  bit  of  bread  and  a  few  figs  or  olives 
constituted  his  simple  fare,  while  his  flocks  furnished 
the  materials  of  his  homely  garments.  /  If  he  ever 
indulged  himself  in  greater  luxuries  it  was  only  on 
extraordinary  occasions,  such  as  a  wedding  in  the  neigh- 
borhood or  a  pilgrimage  to  the  holy  city.  It  is  this,  his 
mode  of  life,  that  explains  the  vehemence  with  which 
the  shepherd  of  Tekoa  denounces  the  voluptuous  nobles 
of  Samaria,  and  would  have  denounced  them  if  they 
had  not  been  as  wicked  as  they  were  voluptuous. 

Amos'  simplicity  was  coupled  with  a  fearlessness  that 
is  inspiring.  Had  he  not  been  as  fearless  as  he  was 
simple  he  would  not  have  obeyed  the  call  of  Jehovah 
and  undertaken  the  mission  to  Israel,  for  there  was  rea- 
son to  expect  that  it  would  prove  a  dangerous  errand. 
The  fact  that  he  undertook  it  at  all  is,  therefore,  a  proof 
of  his  fearlessness.  There  is  another  in  the  fact  that 
he  addressed  himself  to  the  wealthy  and  powerful  in 
Israel,  and,  not  content  with  condemning  them  in  gen- 

1  ii.  6,  7  bis ;  iv.  i  bis ;  v.  1 1 ;  viii.  4  bis,  6  bis. 


6  AMOS. 

eral  terms,  arraigned  them  for  one  after  another  of  the 
sins  of  which  they  were  guilty.  It  is  only  necessary  to 
refer  to  ii.  7  f.,  vi.  3  ff.,  and  viii.  4  ff.  for  excellent  exam- 
ples of  the  relentless  directness  of  his  method.  More- 
over, when  Amasiah  tried  to  silence  him,  he  took  the 
risk  of  a  personal  encounter  with  that  dignitary.  Tra- 
dition says  that  he  remained  at  his  post  until,  having 
been  cruelly  beaten,  he  was  carried  to  his  own  country, 
where,  after  a  few  days,  he  died.^  This  may  or  may 
not  be  a  correct  account  of  the  prophet's  end,  but  there 
is  no  doubt  that  he  had  in  him  the  stuff  of  a  martyr. 
Nor  is  it  surprising  that  he  should  have  shown  himself 
thus  fearless.  The  life  of  an  oriental  shepherd  tends  to 
develop  courage.  He  has  not  only  to  endure  all  sorts 
of  weather,  but  sometimes  even  to  encounter  the  most 
ferocious  beasts,  in  the  care  and  defense  of  his  flock. 
Amos  must  have  had  such  experiences.  He,  like  David, 
had  braved  the  lion  and  the  bear,  and  thus  prepared 
himself  to  meet  the  dangers  to  which  his  prophetic 
labors  exposed  him. 

A  combination  of  simplicity  and  fearlessness  might 
have  made  Amos  a  successful  agitator  in  Israel,  but 
something  additional  was  needed  to  make  him  a  reliable 
teacher  for  his  contemporaries,  and  give  to  his  utter- 
ances a  value  for  all  generations.  This  additional  char- 
acteristic was  discernment,  —  power  to  see  distinctions, 
—  a  power  which  Amos  possessed  to  a  degree  not  sur- 
passed in  the  greatest  of  the  Hebrew  prophets.  That 
he  was  thus  gifted  two  or  three  references  to  his  book 
will  suffice  to  show.  The  kingdom  of  Israel  was,  at  the 
time  of   his  mission,  enjoying  remarkable   prosperity. 

1  Pseudodorotheus  in  Chron.  paschale^  ed.  Dindorf,  I.  277. 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  7 

Those  who  were  most  affected  by  this  state  of  things 
seem  to  have  supposed  that  it  was  a  token  of  Jehovah's 
favor.  Amos  was  not  so  easily  deceived.  He  saw  that, 
though  the  blessing  of  Jehovah  made  rich,  it  was  not 
safe  to  maintain  the  converse  of  this  proposition  ;  that, 
in  fact,  the  means  by  which  the  rich  and  great  had 
acquired  their  share  of  this  boasted  prosperity  were 
such  as  must,  sooner  or  later,  bring  upon  them  the  ven- 
geance of  their  God.^  The  most  remarkable  passages 
in  the  book  are  remarkable  for  the  discernment  that 
they  manifest.  Such  are  the  passages  dealing  with  the 
forms  of  religion,^  for  which  there  was  no  lack  of  zeal  in 
Israel,  and  those  touching  the  covenant  ^  in  which  they 
trusted.  So  clearly  is  the  truth,  with  reference  to  these 
matters,  perceived  and  stated  that  one  wonders  how 
those  who  heard  the  prophet  could  continue  in  their 
error.  How  did  Amos  acquire  this  power }  It  was 
partly,  no  doubt,  an  original  endowment,  and  partly  a 
supplementary  bestowment,  but  there  was  another  fac- 
tor. Had  he  been  born  and  bred  in  other  circumstances 
than  those  by  which  he  was  actually  surrounded,  the 
natural  clearness  of  his  vision  might  have  been  dimmed, 
and  even  the  clarifying  influence  of  the  divine  spirit 
counteracted.  At  Tekoa,  far  enough  from  the  world  to 
escape  its  bewildering  spell,  but  not  too  far  to  allow  him 
to  observe  its  activities,  he  had  leisure  to  cultivate  the 
gift  that  was  in  him,  and  bring  it  to  the  perfection  that 
it  finally  attained. 

These  are  the  more  noticeable  characteristics  of  Amos 
as  a  man.  It  remains  to  notice  one  or  two  of  his  pecul- 
iarities as  a  writer. 

1  iii.  lo  f.j   V.  II;  vi.  3,  8,  12  f.  ^  jy.  4  f. ;  v.  21  ff.  *  iii.  2;  ix.  7. 


8  AMOS. 

It  used  to  be  the  fashion  to  disparage  the  style  of 
Amos,  as  if  no  good  thing  could  be  expected  to  come 
from  Tekoa.  The  fashion  was  set  by  Jerome/  who, 
applying  to  the  prophet  the  words  that  Paul  (2  Cor. 
xi.  6)  uses  of  himself,  said  that  he  was  "  rude  in  speech 
but  not  in  knowledge."  Later  commentators  discovered 
several  words  ^  whose  forms  were  supposed  to  betray 
a  defective  education.  The  truth  is  that  Amos,  being  a 
shepherd,  often  used  words  and  expressions  suggested 
by  his  calling,  and  sometimes  constructed  a  sentence  in 
a  way  that  would  hardly  have  been  approved  by  the 
scribes  of  Uzziah's  court ;  but  it  is  a  libel  to  represent 
him  as  a  bungler  at  authorship.  Judged  by  any  proper 
standard,  he  deserves  to  rank  among  the  first  of  the 
sacred  writers.  He  is  always  clear,  and  usually  remark- 
ably forcible,  in  presenting  his  ideas;  sometimes  he  is  so 
skillful  that,  but  for  the  faults  with  which  he  is  charged, 
one  would  hardly  believe  him  identical  with  the  shep- 
herd of  Tekoa.^  These  supposed  faults  are  therefore 
comparatively  insignificant  as  blemishes  upon  the  style 
of  Amos,  but  important  as  proofs  of  the  authenticity  of 
his  book.  If,  now,  due  weight  be  given  to  the  further 
consideration  that  the  clearness,  forcibleness,  and  skill- 
fulness  of  the  prophet's  style  probably  depended  upon 
his  use  of  his  own  language  in  his  own  way,  it  will  surely 
be  granted  that  a  better  name  for  the  so-called  rudeness 
of  Amos*  style  will  be  unconventionality  or  individuality.* 

1  See  his  introduction  to  Amos. 

2  p^rx:  ii.  13;  DSDtrin  V.  10;  n«nia  vi.  8;  IB'^D^  vi.  10;  and  pHt:?^  vii.  16. 
8  See  especially  iv.  4  f.,  12  f. ;  vi.  9  f. ;  ix.  i  ff. 

*  As  for  the  words  above  cited,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  some  at 
least  of  the  irregularities  in  their  orthography  are  chargeable  to  careless 
or  ignorant  copyists. 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  9 

One  of  the  most  striking  peculiarities  of  Amos  as  a 
writer  is  what  may  be  termed  his  orderHness.  This 
manifests  itself  in  the  structure  of  the  book  as  a  whole, 
but  most  clearly  in  its  various  divisions.  The  prophet's 
thoughts  seem  naturally  to  have  arranged  themselves 
in  some  sort  of  order.  Sometimes  it  is  their  logical 
relation  that  is  prominent,  as,  e.g.,  in  ii.  6-16  and  iv.  4- 
13,  but  more  frequently  it  is  a  series  that  attracts  atten- 
tion. The  nations,  e.g.,  are  arranged  in  order  in  the 
first  two  chapters.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  second  the 
sins  of  Israel  and  the  proofs  of  Jehovah's  goodness 
form  two  subordinate  series.  Other  notable  instances 
of  the  same  habit  of  thought  and  expression  are  the 
series  of  illustrations  in  iii.  3  ff.,  of  chastisements,  iv. 
6  ff.,  and  of  visions,  vii.  i  ff.  See  also  vi.  3  ff.  and  ix. 
2  ff.  These  series,  while  not  so  long  as  to  become  tire- 
some, are  long  enough  to  impress  upon  the  mind  of  the 
reader  the  truths  that  they  are  intended  to  illustrate, 
and  justify  the  use  of  them  by  the  prophet.  It  might 
be  difficult  to  trace  any  connection  between  the  orderli- 
ness that  Amos  displays  in  his  book  and  his  vocation, 
unless  it  be  explained  by  the  leisure  enjoyed  by  the 
oriental  shepherd.  It  is  possible  that  most  of  the 
material  of  his  prophecies  had  been,  in  a  sense, 
prepared  while  he  was  tending  his  flock,  little  think- 
ing what  would  become  of  his  reflections,  and  that 
to  this  fact  is  due  the  orderly  form  in  which  they  are 
presented. 

There  is  one  respect  in  which  the  style  of  Amos  was 
greatly  influenced  by  his  calling.  He  would  not  have 
presented  his  thoughts  so  picturesquely  as  he  did  had 
he  not   had    such   opportunities   for   communion   with 


10  AMOS. 

nature  as  this  calling  permitted.  He  knew  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  in  all  their  moods,  the  manifold  forms  of 
life  that  stirred  about  him,  the  perils  and  mischances  of 
existence,  and  the  dread  phenomena  by  which  his  world 
was  sometimes  startled.  His  mind  was  so  full  of  pic- 
tures from  this  source  that,  when  he  spoke  or  wrote,  he 
involuntarily  used  them  to  illustrate  his  ideas  on  other 
matters.  Hence  his  book  abounds  in  such  figures  and 
illustrations.  Notice  the  following  tropes :  Jehovah 
roars  (i.  2),  war  is  2i  fire  (i.  3),  wrath  rends  (i.  11),  the 
Amorite  is  destroyed  fruit  and  root  (ii.  9),  violence  is 
stored  {iii.  10),  the  women  of  Samaria  are  kine  of  Bashan 
(iv.  i),  distress  is  wormwood  (v.  7),  the  Pleiades  and 
Orion  represent  creation  (v.  8),  violence  bursts  or  breaks 
like  light  (v.  9),  Israel  takes  horns  (yi.  13),  lack  of  the 
word  of  Jehovah  is  fami7ie  {y'm,  11),  the  plowman  over- 
takes the  reaper^  and  the  mountains  drop  must^  in  the 
good  time  coming  (ix.  13),  and  the  Hebrews  diXQ  plaftted 
in  their  soil,  never  to  be  uprooted  (ix.  15).  The  compar- 
isons also  are  numerous  :  the  Amorites  are  compared  to 
cedars  and  oaks  (ii.  9) ;  the  earthquake  to  a  wagon  fidl 
of  sheaves  (ii.  13);  the  remnant  of  Israel  to  two  legs  and 
a  hit  of  an  ear  (iii.  1 2),  and  a  brand  plucked  from  the 
flame  (iv.  1 1);  the  vengeance  of  Jehovah  to  an  zmquench- 
able  fire  {w.  6);  the  peril  of  Israel  to  that  of  one  who 
escapes  a  lion  and  a  bear  to  die  by  a  serpent  (v.  19) ; 
willing  justice  to  water  and  a  living  stream  (v.  24)  ;  the 
coTCimg  vfOQ  \.o  motirning  for  an  071  ly  child  {y'm.  10);  and 
the  captivity  of  Israel  to  the  shaking  of  grain  in  a  sieve 
that  retains  every  good  kernel  (ix.  9).  Add  to  these 
several  virtual  comparisons  :  the  series  of  illustrations 
of  the  relation  of  cause  and  effect  (iii.  2  ff.),  and  the  two 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  11 

of  the  madness  of  sin  (vi.  12).  Finally  all  the  visions 
of  the  last  three  chapters  were  suggested  by  scenes 
and  events  of  which  the  prophet  must  have  been  a 
witness.  This  is  a  long  catalogue  of  illustrations  for 
so  short  a  book,  —  so  long  that  it  is  not  necessary 
to  refer  to  those  which  cannot  be  traced  to  his  expe- 
rience as  a  shepherd  to  show  that  in  picturesqueness, 
as  in  orderliness,  Amos  surpasses  all  the  rest  of  the 
prophets. 

Tekoa  did  much  for  Amos,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to 
claim  that  it  alone  made  him  all  that  he  was.  It  has 
already  been  hinted  that  other  influences  wrought  in 
his  development.  He  was  familiar  with  the  history  and 
condition  of  his  own  people.  Where  he  learned  what 
he  knew  about  the  Hebrews  is,  for  the  present,  a  matter 
of  indifference.  It  is  enough  that,  as  must  be  admitted, 
he  had,  by  some  means,  gotten  possession  of  the  great 
facts  of  their  past  and  present,  and  studied  them  to 
some  purpose.  He  had  not  confined  his  thoughts  to 
his  own  country.  He  knew  the  neighboring  nations ; 
Syria,  Phoenicia,  PhiHstia,  Edom,  Moab  and  Ammon,  with 
their  history,  and  the  remoter  Egypt  and  Assyria.  The 
last  he  does  not  mention  by  name,  but  he  shows  by  his 
unmistakable  references  to  it  that  he  understood  its 
general  character,  and  appreciated,  as  few,  if  any,  others 
did,  its  importance  in  western  Asia.  These  mental 
excursions  beyond  the  horizon  of  his  native  place  must 
have  helped  to  make  him  more  than  a  shepherd  before 
he  became  a  prophet.  Then  Jehovah,  by  whose  will  his 
previous  development  had  been  directed,  clothed  him 
with  the  spirit,  and  his  preparation  was  complete. 


12  AMOS, 

II. 
THE  DATE  OF  AMOS. 

The  title  to  the  book  of  Amos  contains,  among  other 
things,  two  statements  with  reference  to  the  date  at 
which  the  prophet  lived  and  labored.  These  statements 
are  generally  considered  trustworthy  even  by  those  who 
deny  that  the  title  is  from  the  hand  of  Amos.  Taking 
for  granted,  for  the  present,  that  they  are  reliable,  it 
would  seem  a  very  simple  matter  to  fix,  at  least  approx- 
imately, the  date  of  the  prophet.  It  ought  only  to  be 
necessary  to  take  the  sum  of  the  numbers  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  book  of  Kings,  represent  the  duration  of 
the  reigns  of  the  Judean  kings  from  the  first  of  Uzziah 
to  the  sixth  of  Hezekiah,  and  add  this  sum,  minus  one, 
to  722,  the  date  of  the  fall  of  Samaria,  in  order  to  get 
the  earliest  date  at  which  Amos  could  have  appeared ; 
the  latest  could  then  be  found  by  subtracting  27, 
the  number  of  years  that  Jeroboam  II.  reigned  after 
Uzziah  came  to  the  throne,  from  this  total.  Now 
Uzziah  is  said  to  have  reigned  52  years,  Jotham  16, 
Ahaz  16,  and  Hezekiah  6,  before  Samaria  was  captured. 
The  sum  of  these  numbers  is  90.  The  first  of  Uzziah 
was  therefore  90—1+722,  or  811  B.C.,  and  the  last  of 
Jeroboam  II.,  811—27,  or  784  b.c,  between  which  two 
dates  Amos  must  have  prophesied  in  Israel. 

The  matter,  however,  is  not  so  simple  as  it  seems. 
In  the  first  place,  while  2  Kings  xviii.  10  says  that 
Samaria  fell  in  the  sixth  year  of  Hezekiah,  xvi.  i  of 
the  same  book  requires  one  to  believe  that  this  event 
occurred  in  the  thirteenth  of  Ahaz,  at  least  three  years 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  13 

before  Hezekiah  came  to  the  throne,  and  that,  therefore, 
Uzziah  did  not  begin  to  reign  until  802  B.C.  If,  now, 
an  attempt  be  made  to  arrive  at  the  date  of  Amos  by- 
using  the  statements  of  the  books  of  Kings  with  refer- 
ence to  the  kings  of  Israel,  the  result  will  be  found  to 
agree  with  neither  of  those  already  obtained ;  for  if 
Jeroboam  II.  (after  Uzziah's  accession)  reigned  27  years, 
Zechariah  J,  Shallum  -^^^  Menahem  10,  Pekahiah  2,  Pe- 
kah  20,  and  Hoshea  9,  and  all  together  683^2  years, 
Uzziah  must  have  succeeded  Amaziah  in  69—1+722, 
or  790  B.C.  This  calculation  is  based  on  the  supposition 
that  Uzziah  began  to  reign  in  the  fifteenth  of  Jeroboam 
II.,  as  2  Kings  xiv.  23  would  lead  one  to  conclude.  If, 
however,  xv.  i,  where  Azariah,  i.e.  Uzziah,  is  said  to 
have  begun  to  reign  in  the  twenty-seventh  of  Jeroboam 
II.,  be  taken  as  a  basis,  the  former  must  have  ascended 
the  throne  twelve  years  later,  or  in  JJ%  b.c.  The  last 
consideration  also  affects  the  lower  limit  in  each  of  the 
first  two  calculations,  so  that  the  result  is  a  sixfold  one ; 
viz.  Amos  may  have  prophesied  between 

811  and  784  or  796  B.C. 
802  "  775  "  787  " 
790  or  778  and  763  " 

It  is  plain  that  only  one  of  these  results  can  be  cor- 
rect. As  a  matter  of  fact  they  are  all  incorrect.  This 
can  easily  be  proven  by  data  from  Assyrian  history, 
whose  correctness  is  unquestionable.  Shalmaneser  11. 
says  that  he  took  tribute  of  Jehu,  king  of  Israel,  in 
842  B.C.  ;  but  if  Uzziah  began  to  reign  in  811  or  802, 
this  was  clearly  impossible,  since  the  last  year  of  Jehu 
was  thus  811  or  802  plus  the  first  14  of  Jeroboam  II., 
the  16  of  Jehoash,  and  the  17  of  Jehoahaz,  i.e.  858  or 


14  AMOS. 

849  B.C.  It  was  possible  if  the  first  of  Uzziah  was  790 
or  yjS,  in  either  of  which  cases  the  last  of  Jehu  was 
837  B.C. ;  but  if  either  of  these  dates  be  accepted  as 
correct,  it  will  be  found  in  conflict  with  other  Assyrian 
data.  Thus,  whether  the  first  of  Uzziah  was  790  or 
yyS  B.C.,  the' last  of  Jeroboam  II.  was  763  B.C.,  and  the 
last  of  Menahem  763,  minus  the  one  of  Zechariah  and 
Shallum  and  the  10  of  Menahem,  i.e.  752  b.c.  ;  but 
Tiglath-pileser  III.,  who  did  not  begin  his  reign  until 
745  B.C.,  says  that  he  took  tribute  of  Menahem,  and  his 
statement  is  confirmed  by  the  Hebrew  historian  ;  for 
the  Pul  of  2  Kings  xv.  19  is  no  other  than  this  Assyrian 
king.  In  this  case,  of  course,  if  any  earlier  date  for  the 
beginning  of  Uzziah's  reign  be  adopted,  the  discrepancy 
will  only  be  the  greater. 

Are  the  chronological  data  of  the  books  of  Kings 
then  worthless }  This  question  has  been  too  hastily 
answered  in  the  affirmative.  They  are  useless  only  in 
the  hands  of  unskilled  readers.  To  those  who,  by 
thorough  study,  have  learned  how  to  handle  them,  they 
are  far  from  valueless.  Indeed,  most  biblical  scholars 
believe  that  they  can  be  harmonized  with  one  another 
and  with  data  from  profane  sources  and  combined  into 
a  reliable  system.  This  result,  however,  can  only  be 
attained  by  observing  certain  requirements  which  the 
data  themselves,  on  close  examination,  suggest.  In  the 
first  place,  as  is  now  generally  admitted,  one  must  dis- 
criminate between  two  classes  of  numbers,  a  more  and 
a  less  reliable.  The  former  consists  of  numbers  which, 
like  those  for  the  duration  of  the  reigns  of  the  various 
kings  of  Judah  and  Israel,  seem  to  have  been  derived 
from  tradition  or  older  documents ;  the  latter,  of  those 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  15 

which,  like  the  relative  dates  of  the  rulers  of  the  two 
kingdoms,  are  evidently  the  result  of  calculation.  When 
numbers  belonging  to  these  two  classes  conflict,  the 
latter  must,  of  course,  be  rejected  in  favor  of  the  former. 
Secondly,  though  too  much  has  sometimes  been  made 
of  co-regencies,  there  are  cases  in  which  the  Bible  itself 
furnishes  authority  for  asserting  them.  Thus,  e.g.^ 
2  Kings  xiv.  17  says  that  Amasiah  lived  fifteen  years 
after  the  death  of  his  enemy  Jehoash,  but  it  does  not 
say  that  he  ruled  over  Judah  at  all  after  his  defeat. 
Verse  21,  indeed,  indicates  that  he  was  thereupon  virtu- 
ally, if  not  formally,  dethroned,  in  favor  of  his  son  Uz- 
ziah.  Further,  toward  the  end  of  Uzziah's  reign,  when 
he  had  been  smitten  with  leprosy,  Jotham  was  "over 
the  house,  judging  the  people  of  the  land "  (2  Kings 
XV.  5).  In  each  of  these  cases  the  duration  of  the  co- 
regency  must  have  been  reckoned  as  part  of  the  reigns 
of  two  kings ;  hence,  in  part,  the  excess  of  the  sum  of 
the  reigns  of  the  kings  of  Judah  from  Amasiah  to  Ahaz 
over  that  of  the  reigns  of  the  contemporary  kings  of 
Israel  and  over  the  actual  duration  of  the  period  between 
these  limits.  The  effect  of  a  brief  co-regency  was  pro- 
duced by  the  practice  of  counting  a  last  incomplete  year 
of  one  king  as  the  first  of  his  successor.  Thirdly,  regard 
must  be  had  to  the  synchronisms  between  Hebrew  and 
Assyrian  history. 

The  chronology  of  the  kings  of  Judah  and  Israel  has 
been  much  studied  and  discussed,  and  various  schemes 
have  been  constructed.  Only  those  are  of  consequence 
which  have  been  constructed  in  accordance  with  the 
above  requirements.  They  differ,  but  the  differences 
among  them  are  not  serious.     The  following,  for  the 


16  AMOS. 

period  between  843,  when  Jehu  and  Athaliah  must 
have  ascended  their  respective  thrones,  and  722  B.C., 
the  date  of  the  fall  of  Samaria,  will  be  found  as  satis- 
factory, perhaps,  as  any  :  — 


JuDAH.                     Israel. 

I  Athaliah      =       i  Jehu 

=  843 

B.C. 

6      "          U      6      " 

I  Joash        J 

=  838 

« 

23   "       =1'^   " 

J.    I  Jehoahaz 

1  =  816 

(( 

39  "     =r7  " 

I    I  Jehoash 

1  =  800 

« 

40      "           1            2      „ 
I  Amasiah  ) 

=  799 

(( 

[I  Uzziah]     /           ^ 

=  786 

« 

15  Amasiah  1        f  l6       "                  "I  -  78c 
[2  Uzziah]    J       \    I  Jeroboam  II.  /       '  ^ 

« 

29  Amasiah  \  _               „ 
16  Uzziah      /  ~       ^ 

=  771 

(( 

38       "            \=     .7       « 
[I  Jotham]    /         ^' 

(-41       « 
42  Uzziah      \  _           Zechariah 
[5  Jotham]    /        1         Shallum 

=  749 

(( 

=  745 

« 

.    I  Menahem 

'51  Uzziah      )  _  r  10       " 

[14  Jotham]    J  ~  I    I  Pekahiah 

}  =  736 

« 

52  Uzziah      1/2       " 
15  Jotham     /  ~  I    I  Pekah 

}  =  735 

« 

^^        "              U         2        " 
I  Ahaz         / 

=  734 

« 

3      "              =1 4      " 

I    I  Hoshea 

}  =  732 

« 

13      " 

=  722 

« 

This   scheme  will  bear  examination.      It  preserves 
the  relations  between  the  kings  of  Judah  and  Israel, 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  17 

described  in  the  books  of  Kings.  Athaliah  of  Judah 
remains  the  contemporary  of  Jehu  of  Israel ;  Joash  of 
Jehu,  Jehoahaz  and  Jehoash ;  Amasiah  of  Jehoash  and 
Jeroboam  II. ;  Uzziah  of  Jeroboam  II.,  Zechariah,  Shal- 
lum,  Menahem,  Pekahiah  and  Pekah;  Jotham  of  Pekah; 
and  Ahaz  of  Pekah  and  Hoshea.  Perhaps  as  many  of 
the  computed  synchronisms  as  it  would  be  possible  to 
harmonize  with  any  scheme  find  in  this  their  justifica- 
tion. Moreover,  the  requirements  of  Assyrian  chro- 
nology are  met.  Jehu  begins  his  reign  in  time  to  pay 
tribute  to  Shalmaneser  II.  in  842  B.C.,  while  Uzziah  and 
Ahaz  of  Judah,  and  Menahem,  Pekah  and  Hoshea  of 
Israel  are  all  contemporary  with  Tiglath-pileser  III. 
Yet  only  one  serious  change  has  been  made  in  the 
biblical  data,  —  that  in  the  length  of  Pekah's  reign. 
This  change  was  necessary  in  order  that  both  Menahem 
and  Hoshea  might  be  brought  within  the  eighteen  years 
(745-727  B.C.)  during  which  Tiglath-pileser  ruled  As- 
syria. It  is  also  warranted  on  the  ground  that  Pekah, 
or  any  one  else,  could  hardly  have  maintained  himself 
so  long  on  the  throne  of  Israel  in  the  troubled  period 
immediately  preceding  the  overthrow  of  the  kingdom.^ 

A  glance  at  the  above  table  will  show  within  what 
limits  the  date  of  Amos  must  be  found.     He  prophesied 

1  Tiglath-pileser  III.  in  his  annals  claims  to  have  put  Pekah  to  death  and 
set  Hoshea  upon  the  vacant  throne  (comp.  2  Kings  xv.  30) ;  and,  from  his 
account  of  the  matter,  it  would  at  first  sight  seem  as  if  this  change  of  rulers 
took  place  in  734  B.C.,  during  the  Assyrian  king's  expedition  to  Philistia 
(Schrader,  Keilinschriften  und  das  Alte  Testament  \_KAT\  255  ff.;  Eng- 
lish, The  Cuneiform  Inscriptions  and  the  Old  Testament,  paged  after  the 
original  in  the  margin).  It  is  probable,  however,  th"t  it  occurred  two 
years  later,  when  Damascus  was  finally  reduced  by  the  Assyrian  king. 
Compare  Murdter-Delitzsch,  Geschichte  Babyloniens  und  Assy riens,  180. 


18  AMOS. 

while  Uzziah  ruled  over  Judah,  and  Jeroboam  II.  over 
Israel ;  but  these  two  kings  ruled  contemporaneously,  at 
the  longest,  from  785  to  745  B.C.,  and,  strictly  speaking, 
only  from  771  to  745  B.C.  ;  hence  Amos  must  have 
appeared  within  one  of  these  periods.  He  was  prob- 
ably not  earlier  than  771  B.C.,  for,  at  the  time  of  his 
mission  to  Israel,  Jeroboam  II.  had  already  fulfilled  the 
prediction  of  Jonah  of  Gath-hepher  (2  Kings  xiv.  25), 
and  restored  his  kingdom  to  its  original  dimensions, 
"  from  the  entrance  to  Hamath  to  the  stream  of  the 
Arabah"  (Am.  vi.  14);  and  until  773  B.C.  Assyria  was 
able  to  assert  its  sovereignty  over  Damascus  and  the 
surrounding  country  (Schrader,  KA  T  482).  On  the 
other  hand,  Amos'  mission  was  not  much  later  than 
the  date  above  mentioned,  for,  not  long  after  the  death 
of  his  father,  Uzziah  began  to  display  the  wisdom  and 
prowess  by  which  he  greatly  enlarged  and  strengthened 
the  kingdom  of  Judah  (2  Kings  xiv.  22),  and  there  is  no 
evidence  that  he  had  made  much  progress  in  his  career 
when  the  book  of  Amos  was  written.  Gath  and  Ashdod 
(2  Chron.  xxvi.  6)  were  still  unconquered  (Am.  vi.  2) ; 
in  fact,  the  house  of  David  was  still  so  weak  that  it 
could  fitly  be  represented  as  a  mere  "  booth  "  (Am.  ix. 
11).  Perhaps  it  will  not  be  far  wrong  to  conclude  that 
760  B.C.  was  about  the  date  at  which  Amos  appeared  as 
the  prophet  of  Jehovah  at  Bethel. 

This  conjecture  is  neither  confirmed  nor  contradicted 
by  the  phrase  two  years  before  the  eartJiquake,  in  the 
title  to  Amos'  book,  since  it  is  now  impossible  to  ascer- 
tain when  the  earthquake,  which  is  also  mentioned  by 
Zechariah  (xiv.  5),  occurred.  Josephus  connects  it  with 
the    attempt    of    Uzziah    to   usurp    priestly  functions 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  19 

(2  Chron.  xxvi.  16  ff.);  but  there  are  good  reasons  for 
denying  any  such  connection.  The  first  of  these  is 
that,  while  the  earthquake,  like  the  appearance  of  the 
prophet,  was  toward  the  beginning  of  Uzziah's  reign, 
his  encounter  with  the  priests,  and  the  stroke  by  which 
he  was  punished,  practically  closed  his  career.  Further, 
Josephus*  account  of  the  matter  is  so  evidently  fictitious 
in  those  parts  where  its  correctness  can  be  tested  that  it 
is  best  to  regard  the  whole  as  a  product  of  his  imagina- 
tion.i  The  most,  then,  that  can  be  learned  from  the 
phrase  in  question,  if  it  is  authentic,  is  so  little  that,  for 
the  present,  it  is  not  worth  while  to  inquire  whether  or 
not  it  has  any  historical  value.  On  this  point  see  the 
comments. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  condition  of 
Israel  under  Jeroboam  II.  This  king,  like  his  father 
Jehoash,  had  successfully  defended  his  kingdom  against 
his  hereditary  enemies,  the  Syrians,  and  even,  it  would 
seem  (2  Kings  xiv.  28),  gotten  possession  of  some  of 
their  territory.  He  and  his  soldiers  doubtless  enriched 
themselves  at  the  expense  of  the  conquered  nation. 
Meanwhile  his  people,  relieved  from  the  destructive 
inroads  of  their  Syrian  and  other  neighbors,  had  suc- 

1  He  says  {Ant.  IX.  10,  4)':  "  In  the  meantime  a  great  earthquake 
shook  the  ground,  and  a  rent  was  made  in  the  temple,  and  the  bright  rays 
of  the  sun  shone  through  it  and  fell  upon  the  king's  face,  insomuch  that 
the  leprosy  seized  upon  him  immediately.  And  before  the  city,  at  a  place 
called  Eroge  (En  Rogel),  half  the  mountain  broke  off  from  the  rest  on  the 
West,  and  rolled  itself  four  furlongs,  and  stood  still  at  the  East  mountain 
till  the  roads,  as  well  as  the  King's  Gardens,  were  spoiled  by  the  obstruc- 
tion," It  is  only  necessary  to  turn  to  Zech.  xiv.  4f.  to  find  that  the  his- 
torian borrowed  from  the  prophet's  description  of  a  future  convulsion  most 
of  the  details  with  which  he  adorned  the  great  event  of  Uzziah's  reign. 


20  AMOS. 

ceeded  in  developing,  to  an  extent  not  before  attained, 
the  resources  of  their  own  country.  The  wealth  thus 
produced  was  not,  it  is  true,  equally  distributed,  but 
there  was  enough  for  all,  and  the  fact  that  some  had 
much  more  than  their  proportion  only  served  to  make 
the  greatness  of  the  aggregate  more  apparent.  What 
wonder  then  if  the  king,  as  he  saw  the  palaces  of  his 
nobles  multiplying  in  Samaria,  in  spite  of  now  and  then 
a  complaint  from  some  less  fortunate  subject,  allowed 
himself  to  be  convinced  that,  as  they  doubtless  assured 
him,  his  reign  was  a  success,  and  the  country,  beyond 
precedent,  prosperous } 

This  state  of  things,  too,  seemed  likely  to  last,  for  no 
one  could  see  whence  evil  was  to  be  expected  (ix.  lo). 
The  immediate  neighbors  of  Israel  had,  one  after 
another,  been  humbled.  Judah  seemed  to  be  recover- 
ing, but  Israel  had  nothing  to  fear  from  Judah  and  its 
inexperienced  ruler.  Even  Egypt  and  Assyria,  by 
which  Palestine  had,  in  the  past,  been  repeatedly  in- 
vaded, and  between  which  both  of  the  Hebrew  kingdoms 
were  destined  to  perish,  seemed  to  have  ceased  to  be 
dangerous.  Egypt,  no  longer  a  compact  nation  under 
a  vigorous  monarch,  had  become  a  confused  complex  of 
little  principalities,  whose  petty  sovereigns  were  usually 
engaged  in  destroying  one  another.  Once  about  this 
time  they  united  against  Pianchi,  the  king  of  Ethiopia, 
who  had  obtained  a  foothold  in  the  country,  but  their 
union  only  made  the  task  of  overthrowing  them  the 
easier.  They  were  all  obliged  to  submit  and  pay  trib- 
ute. When,  therefore,  Pianchi  returned  to  his  own 
country,  he  left  them  as  discordant  and  as  powerless 
against  him,  or  any  one  else,  as  could  be  desired.     As- 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  21 

Syria,  also,  was  harmless.  When  Ramman-nirari  III. 
closed  his  brilliant  career  in  783  B.C.  the  empire  that  he 
ruled  extended  from  Lake  Van  on  the  north  to  the 
border  of  Elam  on  the  south,  and  from  Media  on  the 
east  to  the  shore  of  the  Mediterranean  on  the  west 
(Schrader,  K AT  212^^.  His  son,  Shalmaneser  III., 
beaten  in  a  long  struggle  with  Urartu  (Ararat),  lost  his 
authority  over  many  other  provinces  (Schrader,  KATa^%2\ 
His  grandson,  Assurdan  III.,  inherited  the  remnant  of 
the  empire  in  772  B.C.  During  his  first  eight  years  he 
made  seven  expeditions  in  various  directions,  the  first 
and  the  last  into  northern  Syria.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  found  enough  to  busy  him  at  home.  In  763  B.C., 
the  year  of  the  eclipse,  there  arose  an  insurrection  in  the 
ancient  capital,  Assur.  This  lasted  two  years.  By  the 
time  it  was  quelled  there  was  another  in  Arpacha,  which 
was  followed  by  a  third  in  Gozan.  Moreover,  in  the 
year  759  B.C.,  when  Gozan  revolted,  the  plague,  which 
had  already  once  visited  Assyria  (765  B.C.)  since  Assur- 
dan III.  began  to  reign,  returned.  In  758  B.C.  there 
was,  in  the  words  of  the  chronicler,  "peace  in  the 
land  "  ;  but  so  exhausting  had  been  the  effect  of  these 
repeated  calamities  that  the  king  did  not  again  leave 
the  country  until  his  last  year,  755  B.C.  (i^yi  7"  482  ff.). 
His  successor,  Assur-nirari,  barely  maintained  himself 
upon  his  throne  until  745  B.C.,  when  one  of  his  generals, 
by  the  aid  of  the  army,  deposed  him,  and,  under  the 
name  Tiglath-pileser  III.,  founded  the  second  empire 
{KAT484  ff.).  When,  therefore,  Amos  appeared,  Israel 
was  at  the  height  of  its  prosperity,  while  Assyria,  by 
which  he  predicted  that  it  and  its  neighbors  would  be 
destroyed,  seemed  to  be  approaching  its  fall ;  but  Jeho- 


22  AMOS. 


vah  had,  for  his  own  glory,  chosen  things  that  were 
base  and  despised,  yea,  and  things  that  were  not,  to 
bring  to  nought  things  that  were  (i  Cor.  i.  28). 


III. 
THE  BOOK  OF  AMOS. 

Amos  has  been  characterized  as  the  most  orderly 
among  the  prophets  whose  writings  are  preserved  in  the 
Old  Testament.  It  ought  not,  therefore,  to  be  difficult 
to  analyze  his  book.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  comparatively  easy 
task.  The  divisions  are  usually  well-marked,  and  their 
relation  to  one  another  apparent.  Nevertheless,  there 
is  not  perfect  unanimity  among  scholars,  even  with  ref- 
erence to  the  general  plan  of  the  book.  Some,  like 
Bleek  {Einleitiing),  divide  it  into  two  parts,  i.-vi,,  and 
vii.-ix.  Others  prefer  a  threefold  division,  in  which, 
however,  they  do  not  all  agree.  Thus,  while  most 
make  the  three  parts  i.-ii.,  iii.-vi.,  and  vii.-ix.,  Ewald, 
for  example,  unites  the  first  two  into  one,  and  finds  his 
third  part  in  the  last  nine  verses  of  the  last  chapter, 
while  Stade  reckons  ii.  6-16  to  the  second,  instead  of 
the  first,  part.  Finally,  Baur  adopts  a  fourfold  division, 
i.-ii.,  iii.-vi.,  vii.-ix.  10,  ix.  11-15. 

The  points  to  be  settled  are  whether  there  shall  be  a 
division  at  the  end  of  the  second  chapter,  and  whether 
the  promises,  with  which  the  book  closes,  shall  form  a 
separate  part.  As  above  stated,  the  former  of  these 
questions  is  oftenest  answered  in  the  affirmative,  the 
latter  in  the  negative  ;  and  this  is  really  the  only  defen- 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  23 

sible  solution ;  for,  while  the  first  two  chapters  are  com- 
plete in  themselves,  —  the  third  chapter  making  a  new 
beginning  as  clearly  as  does  the  seventh,  —  the  last 
verses  of  the  ninth  are  necessary  to  the  completion  of 
the  doctrine  of  the  rest  of  the  chapter.  Without  them 
only  one  side  of  Jehovah's  righteousness  would  have 
been  presented.  On  the  other  hand,  these  last  five 
(Baur),  or,  for  that  matter,  nine  (Ewald),  verses  are 
incomplete  in  themselves.  Had  Amos  intended  them 
to  form  a  distinct  part  of  his  book,  co-ordinate  with 
i.-ii.  and  iii.-vi.,  he  would  have  reproduced  in  them  the 
ideas  prominent  in  the  book,  and  thus  given,  them  a 
more  independent  character.  In  view  of  the  above  con- 
siderations it  seems  best  to  adopt  the  threefold  division, 
i.-ii.,  iii.-vi.,  and  vii.-ix. 

I.  The  first  part  serves  as  an  introduction  to  the  sub- 
ject of  which  the  book  as  a  whole  treats.  It  begins, 
after  the  title  (i.  i),  with  a  startling,  yet  indefinite,  an- 
nouncement (z^.  2),  later  imitated  by  Joel  (iv.  16),  which 
must  have  had  the  effect  of  thunder  from  a  clear  sky. 
Jehovah  shall  roar  from  Zion,  and  from  Jerusalem  utter 
his  voice  ;  and  the  pastures  of  the  shepherds  shall  wilt,  and 
the  top  of  Carmel  wither.  It  is  clear  from  this  utterance 
that  Amos  is  a  prophet  of  wrath.  He  does  not  leave 
one  long  in  suspense  regarding  those  who  are  in  danger. 

The  order  in  which  the  nations  threatened  are  men- 
tioned is  very  effective.  First  of  all  come  the  three 
utterly  foreign  nations,  represented  by  Damascus  {yv.  3- 
5),  Gaza  (yv.  6-Z\  and  Tyre  {yv.  9-10).  Then  follow 
three  more  nearly  related  to  the  Hebrews :  Edom 
(yv.  11-12),  Ammon  (iw.  I3-I5)»  and  Moab  (ii.  1-3). 
Just  before  Israel  comes  Judah  (yv.  4-5),  next  of  kin  to 


24  AMOS. 

the  doomed  people.  When,  therefore,  Israel  is  finally 
mentioned  {vv.  6-16),  it  is  as  if,  while  one  was  watching 
an  approaching  storm,  it  suddenly,  having  destroyed 
everything  else,  struck  and  shattered  the  very  house 
over  one's  head.^ 

There  is,  in  these  first  two  chapters,  an  internal  as 
well  as  an  external  climax.  Not  only  does  the  danger 
constantly  increase  until  the  catastrophe  is  reached,  but 
the  fate  of  the  last  sufferer  seems  most  dreadful  and 
most  richly  deserved.  This  effect  is  produced,  partly 
by  introducing  a  new  element,  —  the  goodness  of  Jeho- 
vah, —  and  partly  by  dwelling  on  the  case  of  Israel. 
Thus,  instead  of  one,  Amos  lays  four  distinct  transgres- 
sions to  their  charge  {yv.  6-d,).  He  also  recites  four 
proofs  of  Jehovah's  goodness  to  them  {vv.  9-12). 
Finally,  he  describes,  with  harrowing  fulness,  the  pen- 
alty of  their  ingratitude  {vv.  13-16). 

II.    The  second  part,   consisting  of  chapters  iii.-vi., 

1  The  section  devoted  to  Judah  is  pronounced  an  interpolation  by 
Duhm  {Theologie  der  Propheten,  119)  and  others.  The  reasons  given 
are  that  it  is  weak,  unlike  Amos,  and  very  like  one  of  the  Deuteronomic 
authors.  Its  seeming  weakness  arises  from  its  indefinite  character.  It 
was  necessary,  however,  for  the  prophet  to  put  the  charge  against  Judah 
in  this  indefinite  shape  to  avoid  repetition  when  he  came  to  Israel,  since 
the  two  are  condemned  on  practically  the  same  ground,  viz.  for  desertion 
of  their  God  and  disregard  of  his  revealed  will.  In  reply  to  the  second 
point,  let  it  be  observed  that  the  structure  of  the  section  as  a  whole  is 
precisely  like  that  of  all  the  rest.  The  third  point  is  also  mistaken,  for,  as 
W.  Robertson  Smith  {Prophets  of  Israel,  398)  observes,  and  justly :  they 
have  contemned  the  law  of  Jehovah  and  have  not  observed  his  statutes  is 
not  necessarily  a  Deuteronomic  expression.  See,  further.  Supplementary 
Studies  I.;  also  Kuenen,  Onderzoek,  II.  361.  Wellhausen  {Skizzen  u. 
Vorarbeiten,  V. )  finds  another  interpolation,  i.  1 1  f.,  which  he  denies  to 
Amos  on  the  ground  that  the  hostility  to  Edom  there  displayed  was 
unknown  among  the  Hebrews  before  the  Chaldean  period. 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  25 

inclusive,  is  a  development  of  the  threefold  thought  of 
ii.  6-16.  It  naturally  falls  into  three  divisions,  each  of 
which  begins  with  the  solemn  injunction,  Hear  ye  this 
word.  The  first  division  consists  of  chapter  iii.,  the 
second  of  chapter  iv.,  while  the  third  includes  chapters 
V.  and  vi.  Each  of  these  divisions  may  be  more  or 
less  subdivided. 

The  first  division  is  a  sort  of  introduction  to  the  other 
two.  It  opens  with  a  brief  repetition  of  the  indictment 
against  Israel,  in  which  Judah  also  is  included.  This 
consists  of  two  verses  (1-2),  the  second  of  which  may 
be  regarded  as  the  keynote  of  the  book.  Yoti  only  have 
I  chosen  of  all  t J le  families  of  the  earth:  therefore  will  I 
punish  yoii  for  all  yonr  iniquities.  Having  thus  stated 
his  text,  the  prophet,  before  proceeding  to  amplify  upon 
it,  further  prepares  the  way  for  his  message  proper. 
He  accomplishes  his  object  by  two  distinct  means,  hence 
the  rest  of  the  chapter  falls  into  two  sections,  first, 
vv.  3-8,  and  second  vv.  9-15. 

The  multiplied  illustrations  of  the  first  section  {yv.  3- 
8)  at  first  confuse  one,  but  there  is  never  any  doubt  as 
to  the  prophet's  meaning,  and  when  the  passage  is  care- 
fully examined,  it  displays  a  degree  of  rhetorical  skill 
that  is  surprising.  Amos  wishes  to  justify  his  sudden 
assumption  of  the  prophetic  office,  and  especially  to  add 
weight  to  what  he  feels  moved  to  utter.  He  therefore 
claims  that  his  appearance,  like  all  other  phenomena,  is 
an  illustration  of  the  relation  of  cause  and  effect ;  that, 
in  short,  he  is  the  messenger  of  an  angry  deity.  His 
illustrations  could  not  have  been  simpler,  yet  the  effect 
is  very  impressive.  One  forgets  the  prophet  in  one's 
anxiety  concerning  his  message. 


? 


26  AMOS. 

The  solemnity  of  the  situation  is  increased  by  the 
appearance  of  the  heathen  as  witnesses  to  Jehovah's 
justice  in  view  of  Israel's  condition.  The  Philistines 
and  the  Egyptians  are  summoned  and  shown  the  cor- 
ruption of  Samaria  {vv.  9-10).  In  their  presence  Jeho- 
vah declares  his  purpose  with  reference  to  Israel 
(vv.  11-12),  and  finally  commands  its  proclamation  to 
the  condemned  (vv.  13-15).  There  is  something  awful 
in  the  thought  that  the  sins  of  the  chosen  people  have 
reached  such  a  degree  of  grossness  that  Jehovah  can 
safely  rely  upon  strangers  to  his  grace  to  approve  any 
penalty  that  he  may  decree. 

Having  thus  presented  his  credentials,  and  vindicated 
in  advance  the  justice  of  his  master,  Amos  proceeds  to 
the  development  of  his  theme. 

The  second  division  (iv.)  is  a  vivid  presentation  of 
the  desperate  guilt  of  Israel.  First  (vv.  1-3)  the 
women,  whom  he  calls  ki7ie  of  BasJimi,  are  arraigned 
for  their  cruelty  and  wantonness,  and  threatened  with 
merciless  captivity.  Then  follows  a  longer  section 
(yv.  4-13),  in  which  the  nation  as  a  whole  is  accused  of 
obstinate  hypocrisy  in  its  relations  with  Jehovah.  The 
first  section  is  too  brief  to  admit  of  many  details,  but 
the  second  is  almost  a  perfect  parallel  to  ii.  6-16  with 
its  three  subdivisions. 

Tn  the  first  of  these  sub-sections  (vv.  4-5)  the  prophet 
exhorts  his  hearers  to  an  increase  of  zeal  in  their  relig- 
ious observances  ;  but  the  irony  of  his  exhortation  is 
apparent.  It  is  really  a  warning  that,  being  such  as 
they  are,  they  can  only  add  to  their  offensiveness  in 
the  eyes  of  Jehovah  by  professing  to  be  his  wor- 
shipers. 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  27 

They  are  blind  to  this  fact,  and  their  blindness  is 
inexcusable,  since  Jehovah  has  given  them  repeated 
tokens  of  his  displeasure.  Amos  rehearses  (yv.  6-11) 
these  unheeded  chastisements.  They  are  five  in  num- 
ber. There  are,  therefore,  in  this  second  sub-section, 
five  strophes,  each  of  which  ends  with  the  plaintive 
refrain,  Yet  ye  returned  not  unto  mey  saith  Jehovah. 

TJicrcfore  —  This  word  introduces  the  concluding  sub- 
division (yv.  12-13).  Another  and  a  more  terrible 
description  of  the  penalty  to  be  inflicted  would  naturally 
follow,  but  it  is  for  the  present  withheld.  The  prophet 
displays  his  literary  skill  in  withholding  it,  and  abruptly 
summoning  Israel  into  the  presence  of  the  Almighty, 
with  a  description  of  whose  power  he  closes  the  section 
and  the  division.^ 

The  third  and  last  division  of  the  second  part  of  the 
book  (v.-vi.)  contains  the  same  elements  as  the  one 
preceding,  but  the  tone  is,  for  the  most  part,  entirely 
different.  The  effect  is  such  as  if  Jehovah,  dismayed 
by  the  terrors  of  his  own  anger,  had  suddenly  resolved 
to  make  a  last  attempt  to  save  Israel. 

The  change  of  tone  is  very  marked  in  the  first  section 

1  The  last  verse  of  chapter  iv.  is  also  rejected  by  many  critics,  because, 
as  is  alleged,  it  is  but  loosely  connected  with  the  preceding,  and  because 
it  teaches  a  doctrine  that  did  not  become  prominent  until  the  Exile.  The 
first  point  is  not  well  taken,  for  a  description  of  the  power  of  the  Almighty 
follows  naturally  the  summons  into  his  presence,  and  the  very  abruptness 
of  this  description  is  one  element  of  its  power.  On  the  second  point  it  is 
only  necessary  to  quote  i.  2,  iii.  6,  iv.  6-1 1,  vii.  i,  4,  viii.  8  f.,  and  ix.  13,  to 
show  that,  to  Amos,  Jehovah  was  the  Lord  of  the  world,  and  vi.  12  and 
ix,  2-4  to  prove  that  the  order  of  thought  is  not  unlike  Amos.  See  on  this 
passage  also  W.  Robertson  Smith,  PI  398 ;  Kuenen,  Onderzoek,  II.  362. 
Wellhausen  (^SVy  V.)  is  inclined  to  consider  v.\2  also  as  an  addition  to 
the  text. 


28  AMOS. 

(v.  1-6).  At  the  beginning  of  it  the  prophet  breaks 
into  a  lament,  as  if  the  dreadful  result  suggested  by  the 
therefore  of  the  preceding  chapter  had  already  been 
realized. 

Fallen^  not  to  rise  agaiuy 

Is  virgin  Israel! 
She  is  hurled  tcpon  her  soil. 
With  none  to  raise  her  tip  I 

This  lament,  the  bitterness  of  which  is  explained  by 
V.  3,  naturally  passes  into  an  exhortation  {zw.  4-6),  in 
which  a  possibility  of  mercy  is  not  merely  suggested, 
but  distinctly  presented.  To  the  exhortation  is  attached 
a  warning  that,  unless  Israel  seek  Jehovah^  there  is  no 
way  of  escape  for  thein. 

The  second  section  (vv.  7-17)  is  much  longer  and 
much  more  difficult  of  analysis.  In  this  section  the 
description  of  the  power  of  Jehovah,  with  which  Amos 
interrupts  his  characterization  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
makes  their  danger  so  manifest  that  the  prophet  cannot 
refrain  from  renewing  his  exhortation ;  but  he  sees  so 
plainly  that  it  will  remain  unheeded  that  he  himself 
seems  to  ignore  it.^ 

The  third  section  (yv.  18-27)  recalls  iv.  4-13,  but  it 
has  a  more  serious  tone  than  that  passage.  Its  object 
is  to  expose  the  delusions  by  which  the  success  of  Amos' 

1  Vv.  8  f.  are  of  the  same  character  as  iv.  13,  except  that,  here,  the 
description  of  the  power  of  Jehovah  interrupts  the  recital  of  Israel's  trans- 
gressions instead  of  being  attached  to  the  sentence  passed  upon  them. 
This,  however,  is  but  a  variation  in  the  order  of  thought,  like  vi.  12  ff. 
Moreover,  the  abruptness  of  the  interruption  is  greatly  relieved  by  regard- 
ing the  definite  participle  with  which  v.  7  begins  as  a  sort  of  vocative. 
See  W.  Robertson  Smith,  PI  398 ;  Kuenen,  Onderzaek,  II.  362.  Compare 
Wellhausen,  SV,  V. 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  29 

mission  was  prevented.  He  shows  first  {yv.  18-20)  that 
the  day  of  Jehovah  should  fill  Israel  with  terror  rather 
than  expectation;  then  (yv.  21-27)  that  there  is  no 
virtue  in  purely  ceremonial  observances.  In  this  latter 
subdivision  occurs  an  exhortation  {y.  24),  but  it  is  an 
exhortation  only  in  form.  The  prophet  expects  nothing 
from  it ;  he  therefore  proceeds  to  the  decree  with  which 
the  chapter  closes.  Therefore  take  Sakkiith  your  kijig, 
even  Kewan,  your  star-god,  yo7ir  images  which  ye  have 
made  for  yourselves y  and  I  will  lead  you  captive  beyojid 
Damascus  I 

The  fourth  and  last  section  of  this  division  (vi.)  recalls 
iv.  1-3  ;  for  here,  as  there,  luxury  and  misery  are  con- 
trasted. This  passage,  however,  though  more  general 
in  its  application,  is  much  more  abundant  in  details,  and 
consequently  more  vivid  and  impressive  than  the  other. 
The  first  section  (yru.  1-7)  describes  the  nobles,  espe- 
cially of  Israel,  —  the  first  of  the  most  favored  of  peo- 
ples,—  as  enjoying  the  first  of  all  the  luxuries  of  life, 
and  promises  them  corresponding  distinction  when  their 
country  is  overrun  and  conquered.  The  second  section 
(8-14)  pictures  the  depth  of  misery  to  which  they  must 
come  in  the  madness  of  their  resistance  to  the  will  of 
the  Almighty.^ 

III.  The  break  between  the  second  and  third  parts 
of  the  book  of  Amos  is  so  decided  that  it  cannot  be 
overlooked ;  for,  although  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  chap- 
ter the  fate  of  Israel  seemed  sealed,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  seventh  the  case  is  reopened.     Moreover,  the  method 

1  Wellhausen  {SV,  V.)  finds  w.  9  f.  so  difficult  of  interpretation  that 
he  drops  them  from  the  text,  but  they  would  seem  to  be  a  necessary 
enlargement  upon  v,  8. 


30  AMOS. 

of  the  prophet  in  the  third  part  (vii,-ix.)  is  strikingly 
different  from  that  hitherto  employed.  It  is  the  visions 
of  the  last  three  chapters  that  distinguish  them  as  com- 
pared with  the  rest  of  the  book.  There  are  five  of  them. 
The  first  three  form  a  series  illustrating  a  single  truth  ; 
the  other  two  are  independent  of  them  and  of  each 
other.  This  part,  therefore,  also  falls  into  three  divis- 
ions, each  consisting  of  a  separate  chapter  with  subor- 
dinate divisions. 

The  truth  taught  in  the  first  division  (vii.)  is  that 
Jehovah,  though  merciful,  will  not  always  permit  men 
to  slight  his  mercy,  but  that,  if  they  will  not  return  to 
him,  he  will  punish  them  as  they  deserve ;  that,  in  short, 
justice  will  avenge  mercy. 

The  first  section  {vv.  1-9)  contains  the  visions  and  a 
brief  but  forcible  interpretation.  Locusts  were  formed ; 
they  had  all  but  destroyed  vegetation  when  the  prophet 
interceded  and  they  were  withdrawn.  A  visitation  by 
fire  was  commanded ;  it  had  emptied  the  great  deep, 
but  just  as  it  was  about  to  devour  the  parched  earth  the 
prophet  interceded,  and  it  was  quenched.  Finally,  the 
plumb-line  appeared,  and  the  prophet  was  powerless  to 
delay  any  longer  the  divine  vengeance  (vv.  7-9).  /  will 
not  again  pass  him  by,  said  Jehovah. 

The  second  section  {vv.  10-17)  contains  a  historical 
incident  in  which  the  prophecy  of  the  preceding  is  per- 
sonally applied.  Amasiah,  high  priest  at  Bethel,  follow- 
ing the  example  of  those  who  before  him  had  silenced 
the  prophets  and  forced  the  nazirites  to  drink  wine, 
first  reports  Amos  to  the  king,  and  then  attempts  to 
drive  him  from  the  country  (2/?7.  10-13).  The  prophet 
responds,  vindicating  his  right  to  a  hearing  in  Israel, 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES.  31 

and  foretelling  that  Amasiah  himself  will  drink  most 
deeply  of  the  cup  prepared  for  his  people  (iro.  14-17). 

In  the  second  division  (viii.)  it  is  the  hopelessness  of 
the  case  of  Israel  that  is  prominent. 

This  is  illustrated  by  the  vision  of  the  basket  of  ripe 
fruit  {vv.  1-3),  which,  at  first  sight,  might  seem  merely 
a  repetition  of  that  of  the  plumb-line.  On  closer  exami- 
nation it  will  be  found  that  while  the  plumb-line  symbol- 
izes the  end  of  Jehovah's  mercy,  that  of  the  ripe  fruit 
symbolizes  the  end  of  Israel's  nationality,  the  result  of 
the  divine  indignation. 

The  second  section  is  a  development  of  this  thought 
after  the  manner  of  parts  II.  and  III.  First  the  dis- 
honesty of  the  greedy  merchants  of  Israel  is  described 
in  all  its  manifestations,  and  condemned  {yv.  4-8)  ;  then 
the  darkness  and  distress  of  the  day  of  Jehovah  is  pic- 
tured (^'i^.  9-10);  and  finally  the  total  abandonment  of  his 
apostate  people  by  their  God  is  predicted  (irj,  11-14).! 

That  the  children  of  Israel  are  doomed  is  the  meanins: 
of  the  first  three  visions.  That  their  fate  will  be  a  sad 
one  is  the  purport  of  the  fourth.  Is  there  no  escape } 
This  is  the  question  with  which  the  third  and  last  divis- 
ion (ix.)  deals,  and  so  skillfully  that  the  justice  of  Jeho- 
vah is  completely  vindicated. 

In  the  first  section  {yv.  1-6)  the  vision  and  the  inter- 
pretation given  to  it  apply  to  those  who,  while  they 

1  Oort  (rr,  1880,  120),  with  Wellhausen  {SV,  V.),  rejects  vv,  11  f.  as 
an  interpolation,  because  they  break  the  connection,  and  because  they 
predict  a  dearth  of  prophets  such  as  was  not  felt  until  after  the  Exile.  In 
reply,  it  may  be  said  that  the  question  concerning  the  connection  is  one 
that  is  greatly  affected  by  the  interpretation  adopted  for  the  context,  and 
that,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  but  a  single  prophet,  Oded  (2  Chron.  xxviii.  9),  is 
mentioned  as  active  in  Israel  in  all  the  subsequent  history. 


32  AMOS. 

know  that  the  prophet's  most  terrible  predictions  are 
meant  for  them,  flatter  themselves  that,  whatever  may 
happen  to  others,  they  will  be  able  to  protect  themselves 
against  even  Jehovah.  Them  Amos  charges  to  remem- 
ber that  it  is  an  omnipresent  and  omnipotent  God  whom 
they  have  offended.^ 

"  What,  then,"  says  one,  "  becomes  of  our  covenant 
with  Jehovah  ?  Will  he  cast  off  his  people  ?  "  Amos' 
reply  to  this  implied  objection  {vv.  7-10)  destroys  the 
last  refuge  of  hypocrisy,  and  entitles  him  to  rank  with 
the  greatest  of  the  prophets.  The  gist  of  this  remark- 
able passage  is  that  only  those  who  fulfill  their  part  of 
the  covenant  with  Jehovah  can  expect  to  enjoy  his 
favor.  Not  a  grain  of  wheat  will  be  lost,  but  the  chaff 
must  be  given  to  the  wind. 

It  must  have  greatly  cheered  the  hearts  of  some  who 
heard  Amos,  when  he  said.  Not  a  grain^  etc. ;  much 
more  when  this  ray  of  assurance  broadened  into  the 
splendid  promise  of  the  last  section  {yv.  11-15),  the  end 
of  the  book.  Omnipotence  pledges  himself  not  only  to 
rescue  the  good  when  the  evil  are  destroyed,  but  to  pre- 
pare for  his  saints  a  glorious  future.  The  house  of 
David,  now  humble,  shall  one  day  recover  its  former 
glory,  and  rule,  not  only  Judah,  but  all  the  nations  that 
ever  acknowledged  its  divinely  conferred  authority.^ 

1  If  the  genuineness  of  iv.  13  and  v.  8  f.  be  admitted,  that  of  vv.  5  f.  of 
this  chapter,  which  are  evidently  by  the  same  hand,  must  be  conceded. 
See  W.  Robertson  Smith,  PI  398 ;   Kuenen,  Onderzoek,  II,  362. 

2  The  consideration  above  mentioned,  viz.  the  necessity  of  presenting 
the  reverse  of  Jehovah's  justice,  seems  to  outweigh  any  objections  to  the 
genuineness  of  vv.  8-15  that  can  well  be  urged.  The  opinion  of  Well- 
hausen  (^SV,  V.),  who  holds  that  the  mention  of  a  return  from  captivity 
proves  them  to  be  later  than  the  Exile,  must  therefore  be  rejected. 


INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES. 


33 


The  beginning  of  the  book  was  compared  to  the 
approach  of  a  storm.  Later  in  it  the  denunciations  of 
the  prophet  seemed  like  thunderbolts  from  the  midst  of 
a  tempest.  When  the  clouds  retreat,  as  they  depart, 
the  sun,  bursting  forth,  paints  upon  their  dark  masses  a 
rainbow,  the  symbol  of  God's  mercy  and  faithfulness. 
Such  a  rainbow  is  the  promise  with  which  Amos  com- 
forts the  faithful  in  Israel,  after  having  predicted  the 
destruction  of  the  nation  as  such  for  their  sins.  The 
total  effect,  therefore,  is  to  inspire  a  cheerful  yet  humble 
faith  in  a  just  and  omnipotent  God. 


APPENDIX. 


AN  ANALYTICAL  TABLE. 


The  result  of  the  above  analysis  may  be  tabulated  as  follows :  — 


Approaching 
Judgment : 
i.  2-ii.  1 6. 


1.  Syria:  i.  3-5. 

2.  Philistia;  6-8. 

3.  Phoenicia:  9-10. 

4.  Edom:  11-12. 

5.  Ammon:   13-15. 

6.  Moab :  ii.  1-3. 

7.  Judah:  4-5. 

8.  Israel:  6-16. 


Israel's  Wicked- 
ness: 6-8. 

Jehovah's  Good- 
ness: 9-12. 

The  Penalty  of  In- 
gratitude:  13-16. 


34 


AMOS. 


a.  The  Substance  of  the  Indict- 

ment: 1-2. 

b.  The  Prophet's 

I.  Preliminaries 

Credentials : 

Samaria's 

of  Justice :  iii. 

3-8. 

Corruption : 

c.  The  Approval 

9-10. 

of  the  Hea-      ' 

Jehovah's  Pur- 

then: 9-15. 

pose:   11-12. 
A  Proclama- 
.     tion:  13-15. 

'  a.  The  Reckless  Sensuality  of  the 

Women:   1-3. 

2.  The  Depth  of 

'  False  Zeal: 

Israel's  Guilt :  < 

b.  The  Obstinate 

4-5- 
Unheeded 

II.  The 

iv. 

Hypocrisy  of 

Chastise- 

Case of 
Israel:       ^ 

the  Nation : 

ments:  6-1 1. 

4-13. 

Before  Jeho- 

iii.-vi. 

vah:   12-13. 

r 

A  Lament : 
'  a.  A  Possibility  of  J      1-3. 

Mercy:  v.  1-6.    |    An  Exhorta- 
[     tion:  4-6. 

b.  The  Danger  of  Resistance :  7-17. 

3.  The  Unwilling 

'  The  Day  of 

Severity  of 

c.  Some  Perilous 

Jehovah : 

Jehovah : 

Delusions :        < 

18-20. 

v.-vi. 

18-27. 

Rites  and 

Ceremonies : 

>.     21-27. 

d.  The  Humilia- 

The Height  of 

tion  of  Israel :  < 

Luxury:  I-7. 

vi. 

The  Depth  of 
.     Misery:  8-14. 

INTRODUCTORY  STUDIES. 


35 


I.  Justice  the 
Avenger  of 
Mercy:  vii. 


a.  The  Visions 

and  their  In- 
terpretation : 
1-9. 

b.  Their  Signifi- 

cance for 
Amasiah : 
10-17. 


The  Locusts : 

1-3- 

The  Fire :  4-6. 
The  Plumb- 
line  :  7-9. 

Amasiah's  In- 
terference : 
10-13. 

Amos'  An- 
swer: 14-17. 


III.  Israel's 
Fate 

Illustrated: 
vii.-ix. 


The  Fruit  of 
Sin  the  End 
of  Israel :  viii. 


a.  The  Basket  of  Ripe  Fruit : 


'  A  New  Indict- 

ment: 4-8. 

b.  The  Bitter  End 
of  Israel :          < 
4-14. 

Distress  and 
Darkness : 
9-10. 

Apostate, 
Abandoned : 

11-14. 

The  Destroyer 
of  Sinners 
the  Hope  of 
his  Saints :  ix. 


a.  A  Smitten  Sanctuary :  1-6. 

b.  A  Forfeited  Distinction :  7-10. 

c.  A  Purified  Remnant : 

I1-15. 


TRANSLATION   AND   COMMENTS. 
I. 

THE  WORDS  OF  AMOS: 

who  was  among  the  shepherds  from  Tekoa :  what  he 
beheld  concerning  Israel  in  the  days  of  Uzziah,  king  of 
Judah,  and  in  the  days  of  Jeroboam,  son  of  Joash,  king 
of  Israel,  two  years  before  the  earthquake.    (2)  Said  he: 

I. 

Jehovah  shall  roar  from  Zion, 

Yea  from  Jerusalem  utter  his  voice ; 

Then  shall  the  pastures  of  the  shepherds  wilt. 

And  the  top  of  Carmel  wither. 

1.  (3)  Thus  saith  Jehovah  :  Because  Damascus  hath 
transgressed  three,  yea  four,  times  I  will  not  revoke  it : 
—  because  they  threshed  Gilead  with  iron-shod  sledges  ; 
(4)  but  I  will  send  fire  into  the  house  of  Hazael  and  it 
shall  devour  the  palaces  of  Ben-hadad.  (5)  I  will  also 
break  the  bar  of  Damascus,  and  cut  off  him  who  dwell- 
eth  therein  from  Bikath-awen,  and  him  who  holdeth 
the  scepter  from  Beth-eden ;  and  the  people  of  Aram 
shall  go  captive  to  Kir,  saith  Jehovah. 

2.  (6)  Thus  saith  Jehovah  :  Because  Gaza  hath  trans- 
gressed three,  yea  four,  times  I  will  not  revoke  it:  — 

36 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  37 

because  they  led  completely  captive  to  deliver  to  Edom  ; 
(7)  but  I  will  send  fire  within  the  wall  of  Gaza  and  it 
shall  devour  her  palaces.  (8)  I  will  also  cut  off  him 
who  dwelleth  therein  from  Ashdod  and  him  who  holdeth 
the  scepter  from  Ashkelon  ;  yea  I  will  turn  my  hand 
against  Ekron,  and  the  remnant  of  the  Philistines  shall 
perish,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

3.  (9)  Thus  saith  Jehovah  :  Because  Tyre  hath  trans- 
gressed three,  yea  four,  times  I  will  not  revoke  it :  — 
because  they  delivered  a  complete  captivity  to  Edom 
and  remembered  not  a  brotherly  covenant;  (10)  but  I 
will  send  fire  within  the  wall  of  Tyre  and  it  shall  devour 
her  palaces. 

4.  (11)  Thus  saith  Jehovah:  Because  Edom  hath 
transgressed  three,  yea  four,  times  I  will  not  revoke 
it :  —  because  he  pursued  his  brother  with  the  sword, 
stifling  his  pity,  while  his  wrath  ever  rent  and  his  fury 
he  nursed  without  ceasing;  (12)  but  I  will  send  fire  into 
Teman  and  it  shall  devour  the  palaces  of  Bosrah. 

5.  (13)  Thus  saith  Jehovah:  Because  the  children  of 
Ammon  have  transgressed  three,  yea  four,  times  I  will 
not  revoke  it :  —  because  they  disemboweled  the  preg- 
nant women  of  Gilead  for  the  sake  of  enlarging  their 
border;  (14)  but  I  will  kindle  fire  within  the  wall  of 
Rabbah  and  it  shall  devour  her  palaces,  with  clamor  in 
a  day  of  battle,  with  commotion  in  a  day  of  tempest ; 
(15)  and  their  king  shall  go  into  captivity,  he  and  his 
princes  together,  saith  Jehovah. 

6.  (ii.  i)  Thus  saith  Jehovah  :  Because  Moab  hath 
transgressed  three,  yea  four,  times  I  will  not  revoke  it : 
—  because  he  burned  the  bones  of  the  king  of  Edom  to 
lime ;    (2)  but  I  will  send  fire  into  Moab  and  it  shall 


38  AMOS. 

devour  the  palaces  of  Keriyyoth ;  and  Moab  shall  die 
amid  tumult,  with  clamor,  with  the  sound  of  the  trum- 
pet ;  (3)  yea  I  will  cut  off  the  judge  from  her  midst,  and 
all  her  princes  will  I  slay  with  him,  saith  Jehovah. 

7.  (4)  Thus  saith  Jehovah  :  Because  Judah  hath  trans- 
gressed three,  yea  four,  times  I  will  not  revoke  it :  — 
because  they  have  contemned  the  law  of  Jehovah  and 
have  not  observed  his  statutes  :  nay,  the  lies  after  which 
their  fathers  went  have  led  them  also  astray ;  (5)  but  I 
will  send  fire  into  Judah  and  it  shall  devour  the  palaces 
of  Jerusalem. 

8.  a.  (6)  Thus  saith  Jehovah  :  Because  Israel  hath 
transgressed  three,  yea  four,  times  I  will  not  revoke  it : 
—  because  they  sell  for  money  the  guiltless,  and  the 
needy  for  a  pair  of  shoes.  (7)  Nay,  they  pant  for  dust 
of  the  earth  upon  the  heads  of  the  lowly  and  turn  aside 
the  way  of  the  humble.  A  man  also  and  his  father  go 
to  the  maid  for  the  sake  of  profaning  my  holy  name. 
(8)  They  even  stretch  themselves  on  garments  taken  in 
pledge  beside  every  altar,  and  the  wine  of  such  as  have 
been  fined  they  drink  in  the  houses  of  their  gods. 

d.  (9)  Yet  it  was  I  who  destroyed  before  them  the 
Amorite  whose  height  was  like  the  height  of  cedars, 
and  his  strength  like  t/iat  of  the  oaks ;  yea  I  destroyed 
his  fruit  above  and  his  roots  beneath.  (10)  I  myself 
also  brought  you  up  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  led 
you  in  the  desert  forty  years,  to  possess  the  land  of  the 
Amorite.  (11)  Moreover  I  ordained  some  of  your  chil- 
dren for  prophets,  and  some  of  your  youths  for  nazirites. 
Is  not  this  indeed  so,  children  of  Israel  .'*  saith  Jehovah. 
(12)  But  ye  made  the  nazirites  drink  wine  and  the 
prophets  ye  charged,  saying  :  Ye  shall  not  prophesy. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  39 

c.  (13)  Lo,  I  will  cause  a  trembling  under  you  such  as 
the  cart  that  is  full  of  sheaves  causeth.  (14)  Then  shall 
refuge  fail  the  swift,  and  the  strong  shall  not  assert  his 
strength,  nor  shall  the  mighty  rescue  himself.  (15)  Nay, 
he  who  handleth  the  bow  shall  not  stand,  nor  shall  the 
swift  of  foot  rescue,  nor  he  who  rideth  the  horse  deliver, 
himself;  (16)  but  the  stoutest  of  heart  among  the 
mighty  shall  flee  naked  in  that  day,  saith  Jehovah. 

II. 

1.  a.  (iii.  i)  Hear  this  word  that  Jehovah  hath  spoken 
against  you,  children  of  Israel,  —  against  the  whole 
family  that  I  brought  up  from  the  land  of  Egypt. 
(2)  You  only  have  I  chosen  of  all  the  families  of  the 
earth,  therefore  will  I  punish  you  for  all  your  iniquities. 

b.  (3)  Do  two  walk  together  except  they  have  joined 
each  other }  (4)  Doth  a  lion  roar  in  the  wood  when 
there  is  no  prey  for  him }  or  doth  a  young  lion  utter 
his  voice  from  his  lair  except  he  have  caught  something } 
(5)  Doth  a  bird  fall  upon  [a  snare  of]  the  ground  if 
there  be  no  springe  for  her.?  or  doth  a  snare  fly  up 
from  the  ground  and  catch  nothing  at  all }  (6)  If  a 
trumpet  be  blown  in  a  city,  do  not  the  people  tremble } 
or  if  evil  befall  a  city,  is  it  not  Jehovah  who  hath 
wrought  it.?  (7)  But  the  Lord  Jehovah  doeth  naught 
except  he  have  revealed  his  purpose  to  his  servants  the 
prophets.  (8)  A  lion  hath  roared !  who  can  but  fear } 
The  Lord  Jehovah  hath  spoken!  who  can  but  prophesy? 

c.  (9)  Proclaim  ye  over  the  palaces  in  Ashdod,  and 
over  the  palaces  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  say  :  Assem- 
ble yourselves  upon  the  mountains  of  Samaria  and  see 
the   manifold   uproar   therein,  and   oppression   in   her 


40  AMOS. 

midst  (lo)  Nay,  they  know  not  how  to  do  right,  saith 
Jehovah,  but  store  up  violence  and  oppression  in  their 
palaces. 

(ii)  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord,  Jehovah  :  A  foe, 
even  round  about  the  land !  and  he  shall  strip  thee 
of  thy  strength,  and  thy  palaces  shall  be  plundered. 
(12)  Thus  saith  Jehovah  :  As  the  shepherd  snatcheth 
from  the  mouth  of  the  lion  two  legs  or  a  bit  of  an  ear, 
so  shall  the  children  of  Israel  be  rescued,  who  sit  in 
Samaria,  in  the  corner  of  a  couch  and  in  the  damask  of 
a  divan. 

(13)  Hear  ye  and  declare  unto  the  house  of  Jacob, 
saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  the  God  of  hosts,  (14)  that  in 
the  day  when  I  punish  Israel  for  his  sins  I  will  also 
visit  the  altars  of  Bethel,  and  the  horns  of  the  altar 
shall  be  broken  off  and  fall  to  the  ground.  (15)  I  will 
also  smite  the  winter-house  together  with  the  summer- 
house,  and  the  houses  of  ivory  shall  perish,  yea  many 
houses  shall  disappear,  saith  Jehovah. 

2.  a.  (iv.  i)  Hear  this  word,  ye  kine  of  Bashan  in  the 
mountain  of  Samaria,  who  oppress  the  lowly,  who  crush 
the  needy ;  who  say  to  their  lords  :  Fetch  for  us  to 
drink !  (2)  The  Lord  Jehovah  hath  sworn  by  his  holi- 
ness that,  lo,  days  are  coming  upon  you  when  ye  shall 
be  taken  with  hooks,  yea,  the  last  of  you  with  fish- 
hooks. (3)  Then  shall  ye  go  forth  through  the  breaches, 
each  one  straight  forward,  and  be  driven  toward  Har- 
mon (?),  saith  Jehovah. 

b.  (4)  Come  to  Bethel  and  transgress  !  to  Gilgal  — 
add  transgression  to  transgression  !  Nay,  bring  your 
sacrifices  every  morning,  your  tithes  every  three  days, 
(5)  and  burn  of  leavened  bread  a  thank-offering,  and 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS,  41 

proclaim  freewill-offerings,  make  them  known  ;  for  thus 
ye  love  to  do,  children  of  Israel !  saith  the  Lord 
Jehovah. 

(6)  Yet  it  was  I  who  gave  you  nothing  to  eat  in  all 
your  cities  and  lack  of  bread  in  all  your  places :  but  ye 
did  not  return  unto  me,  saith  Jehovah.  (7)  Moreover 
it  was  I  who  withheld  from  you  the  rain  while  yet  there 
were  three  months  until  harvest ;  I  also  made  it  rain 
upon  one  city,  while  upon  another  city  I  did  not  make 
it  rain  ;  one  field  was  rained  upon,  and  the  field  where- 
upon I  did  not  make  it  rain  dried  up  ;  (8)  and  when 
they  of  two  or  three  cities  staggered  to  another  city  for 
water  to  drink,  they  were  not  satisfied  :  but  ye  did  not 
return  unto  me,  saith  Jehovah.  (9)  I  smote  you  with 
blight  and  decay ;  your  many  gardens,  and  vineyards, 
and  fig-trees,  and  olive-trees  the  locust  devoured  :  but  ye 
did  not  return  unto  me,  saith  Jehovah.  (10)  I  sent 
among  you  the  pestilence,  after  the  manner  of  Egypt ; 
I  slew  with  the  sword  your  youths,  with  your  captured 
horses,  and  I  caused  the  stench  of  your  camp  to  rise 
into  your  very  noses  :  but  ye  did  not  return  unto  me, 
saith  Jehovah,  (n)  I  overthrew  some  of  you  as  God 
overthrew  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  ye  were  like  a 
brand  snatched  from  the  blaze  :  but  ye  did  not  return 
unto  me,  saith  Jehovah. 

(12)  Therefore  thus  will  I  do  unto  thee,  O  Israel!  — 
and  because  I  will  do  this  unto  thee,  prepare  to  meet 
thy  God,  O  Israel.  (13)  But  lo,  he  who  formeth  moun- 
tains, and  createth  the  wind,  and  telleth  man  what  is 
his  thought ;  who  maketh  dawn  darkness  and  walketh 
on  the  heights  of  the  earth  —  Jehovah,  the  God  of  hosts 
is  his  name ! 


42  AMOS. 

3.  a.  (v.  i)  Hear  this  word,  a  lament,  which  I  uplift 
over  you,  house  of  Israel, 

(2)  Fallen,  not  to  rise  again, 
Is  virgin  Israel ; 
She  is  hurled  upon  her  soil. 
With  none  to  raise  her  up ! 
(3)  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  :   The  city  that 
goeth  forth  a  thousand  strong  shall  have  but  3.  hundred 
left,  and  the  one  that  goeth  forth  a  hundred  strong  shall 
have  but  ten  left  in  the  house  of  Israel. 

(4)  But  thus  saith  Jehovah  to  the  house  of  Israel : 
Seek  me  and  live ;  (5)  and  seek  not  Bethel,  nor  go  to 
Gilgal,  nor  cross  to  Beersheba ;  for  Gilgal  shall  go  into 
galling  captivity  and  Bethel  shall  become  Bet/i-Awen. 
(6)  Seek  Jehovah  and  live,  lest  he  fall  like  fire  upon  the 
house  of  Joseph  and  it  devour,  and  there  be  none  to 
quench  it  for  Bethel. 

b.  (7)  Those  who  turn  justice  to  wormwood  and  cast 
righteousness  to  the  ground !  — (8)  He  who  maketh  the 
Pleiades  and  Orion,  and  turneth  gloom  into  morning 
and  darkeneth  day  into  night ;  who  calleth  the  waters 
of  the  sea  and  poureth  them  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  : 
Jehovah  is  his  name !  (9)  Who  causeth  violence  to 
burst  upon  the  strong,  yea,  destruction  shall  come  upon 
the  stronghold!  —  (10)  They  hate  in  the  gate  one  who 
reproveth,  and  one  who  speaketh  uprightly  they  abhor. 
(11)  Therefore,  because  ye  trample  upon  the  lowly  and 
take  a  present  of  grain  from  him,  though  ye  have  built 
houses  of  hewn  stone  ye  shall  not  dwell  in  them,  though 
ye  have  planted  pleasant  vineyards  ye  shall  not  drink 
their  wine.  (12)  For  I  know  that  your  transgressions 
are  many  and  your  sins  grievous  :  persecutors  of  the 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  43 

guiltless !  takers  of  bribes !  yea,  the  needy  they  thrust 
aside  in  the  gate!  (13)  Therefore  he  that  is  prudent 
will  keep  silence  at  such  a  time,  for  it  is  an  evil  time. 

(14)  Seek  good  and  not  evil,  that  ye  may  live  and  that 
Jehovah,  the  God  of  hosts,  may  be  with  you  as  ye  say. 

(15)  Hate  evil,  and  love  good,  and  establish  justice  in  the 
gate  ;  perchance  Jehovah,  the  God  of  hosts,  will  spare  a 
remnant  of  Joseph.  (16)  Therefore,  thus  saith  Jehovah, 
the  God  of  hosts,  the  Lord  :  In  all  squares  shall  there 
be  lamentation,  and  in  all  streets  shall  they  say.  Woe  ! 
woe  !  and  they  shall  summon  the  husbandman  to  mourn- 
ing and  require  lamentation  of  those  who  are  skilled  in 
wailing.  (17)  Yea,  in  all  the  vineyards  there  shall  be 
lamentation,  for  I  will  pass  through  thy  midst,  saith 
Jehovah. 

c.  (18)  Woe  to  those  who  wish  for  the  day  of  Jeho- 
vah !  Why,  then,  would  ye  the  day  of  Jehovah }  It  is 
darkness  and  not  light :  (19)  as  if  a  man  were  fleeing 
from  a  lion,  and  a  bear  should  meet  him,  and,  when  he 
came  home  and  rested  his  hand  against  the  wall,  a  ser- 
pent should  bite  him.  (20)  Is  not  the  day  of  Jehovah 
darkness  rather  than  light,  yea,  gloomy  without  any 
brightness } 

(21)1  hate,  I  despise,  your  feasts,  and  I  take  no  delight 
in  your  festivals  ;  (22)  for  when  ye  offer  unto  me  burnt- 
offerings  and  your  vegetable  offerings,  I  am  not  pleased, 
and  I  regard  not  the  peace-offering  of  your  fatlings. 
(23)  Away  from  me  with  the  noise  of  thy  songs,  and  let 
me  not  hear  the  sound  of  thy  psalteries!  —  (24)  But  let 
justice  roll  as  water  and  righteousness  like  a  living 
stream!  (25)  Did  ye  bring  me  sacrifices  and  a  vege- 
table offering  in  the  desert  forty  years,  house  of  Israel  ? 


44  AMOS. 

—  (26)  Nay,  take  Sakkuth,  your  king,  even  Kewan,  your 
star-god,  your  images  that  ye  have  made  for  yourselves, 
(27)  and  I  will  lead  you  captive  beyond  Damascus,  saith 
Jehovah,  whose  name  is  the  God  of  hosts. 

d.  (vi.  i)  Woe  unto  the  careless  in  Zion,  and  the 
reckless  in  the  mountain  of  Samaria,  the  noted  of  the 
first  of  the  nations,  to  whom  the  house  of  Israel  come ! 

—  (2)  Go  over  to  Kalneh  and  see,  and  go  thence  to 
Hamath  the  great,  and  go  down  to  Gath  of  the  Philis- 
tines. Are  they  fairer  than  these  kingdoms  }  or  is  their 
border  wider  than  your  border .''  —  (3)  Those  who  post- 
pone the  evil  day  but  bring  near  the  seat  of  violence  ; 
(4)  who  lie  on  ivory  couches,  yea  stretched  upon  their 
divans,  and  eat  lambs  from  the  flock  and  calves  from 
the  midst  of  the  stall;  (5)  who  twitter  to  the  note  of  the 
psaltery,  think  that  for  them,  as  for  David,  are  instru- 
ments of  music !  (6)  who  drink  wine  from  basins  and 
anoint  themselves  with  the  first  of  oils,  but  are  not 
grieved  on  account  of  the  affliction  of  Joseph.  (7)  There- 
fore shall  they  now  go  into  captivity  at  the  head  of  the 
captives  and  the  shout  of  banqueters  shall  cease. 

(8)  The  Lord  Jehovah  hath  sworn  by  himself,  saith 
Jehovah,  the  God  of  hosts  :  I  abhor  the  glory  of  Jacob 
and  his  palaces  I  hate ;  yea  I  will  give  over  the  city  and 
all  that  is  in  it.  (9)  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that,  if 
there  be  left  ten  men  in  one  house,  they  shall  die. 
(10)  And  when  one's  relative  and  burier  shall  take  one 
to  carry  the  bones  forth  from  the  house,  and  shall  say 
to  him  who  is  in  the  inmost  of  the  house  :  Is  there  yet 
any  with  thee }  he  shall  say :  None  !  Then  shall  he 
say  :  Hush !  for  one  may  not  make  mention  of  the  name 
of  Jehovah.     (11)  For  lo,  Jehovah  will  command,  and 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  45 

the  great  house  shall  be  smitten  to  atoms  and  the  small 
house  to  breaches.  (12)  Can  horses  run  on  the  rock? 
or  can  one  plow  the  sea  with  oxen  ?  But  ye  have  turned 
justice  to  gall  and  the  fruit  of  righteousness  to  worm- 
wood :  (13)  who  rejoice  in  that  which  is  not  and  say: 
Have  we  not  in  our  strength  taken  to  ourselves  horns  ? 
(14)  For  lo,  I  will  raise  up  against  you,  house  of  Israel, 
saith  Jehovah,  the  God  of  hosts,  a  nation,  and  they 
shall  oppress  you  from  the  entrance  to  Hamath  unto 
the  stream  of  the  Arabah. 

III. 

1.  a.  (vii.  i)  Thus  the  Lord  Jehovah  showed  me  :  Lo, 
he  formed  locusts  as  the  aftergrowth  began  to  spring ; 
and  lo,  it  was  the  aftergrowth  after  the  king's  shearing. 
(2)  Now  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  would  have  wholly 
devoured  the  herbage  of  the  land,  that  I  said  :  Lord 
Jehovah,  prithee  forgive !  How  shall  Jacob  stand,  since 
he  is  so  small.?  (3)  Jehovah  repented  him  of  this.  It 
shall  not  be,  said  Jehovah. 

(4)  Thus  the  Lord  Jehovah  showed  me :  Lo,  the  Lord 
Jehovah  called  to  punish  by  fire,  and  it  devoured  the 
great  deep  and  would  have  devoured  the  field.  (5)  Then 
I  said  :  Lord  Jehovah,  prithee  cease!  How  shall  Jacob 
stand,  since  he  is  so  small  t  (6)  Jehovah  repented  him 
of  this.     This  also  shall  not  be,  said  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

(7)  Thus  he  showed  me  :  Lo,  the  Lord  was  standing 
by  a  plumb  wall  with  a  plumb-line  in  his  hand.  (8)  Then 
said  Jehovah  to  me :  What  seest  thou,  Amos  1  and  I 
said :  A  plumb-line.  Then  said  the  Lord  :  Lo,  I  will 
place  a  plumb-line  in  the  midst  of  my  people  Israel ;  I 
will  not  again  pass  him  by.     (9)  But  the  high-places  of 


46  AMOS. 

Isaac  shall  be  laid  waste,  and  the  sanctuaries  of  Israel 
destroyed ;  and  I  will  arise  against  the  house  of  Jero- 
boam with  the  sword. 

b.  (lo)  Then  Amasiah,  the  priest  at  Bethel,  sent  to 
Jeroboam,  king  of  Israel,  saying  :  Amos  hath  conspired 
against  thee  in  the  midst  of  the  house  of  Israel ;  the 
land  is  not  able  to  contain  all  his  words,  (i  i)  For  thus 
saith  Amos  :  By  the  sword  shall  Jeroboam  die,  and  Israel 
shall  surely  go  into  captivity  off  their  land.  (12)  Ama- 
siah said  also  to  Amos :  Seer,  go,  flee  thee  to  the  land 
of  Judah,  and  there  eat  bread,  and  there  prophesy  ; 
(13)  but  at  Bethel  thou  shalt  no  longer  prophesy,  for  it 
is  a  sanctuary  of  the  king  and  a  royal  residence. 

(14)  Then  Amos  answered  and  said  to  Amasiah  :  I 
am  not  a  prophet,  nor  a  son  of  the  prophets,  but  I  am 
a  shepherd  and  a  tender  of  sycamores;  (15)  but  Jeho- 
vah took  me  from  behind  the  flock,  and  Jehovah  said  to 
me:  Go  prophesy  to  my  people  Israel.  (16)  And  now 
hear  thou  the  word  of  Jehovah.  Thou  sayest :  Thou 
shalt  not  prophesy  against  Israel,  neither  shalt  thou 
preach  against  the  house  of  Isaac.  (17)  Therefore, 
thus  saith  Jehovah  :  Thy  wife  shall  play  the  harlot  in 
the  city,  and  thy  sons  and  thy  daughters  shall  fall  by 
the  sword,  and  thy  land  shall  be  divided  by  line,  and 
thou  thyself  shalt  die  on  an  unclean  soil,  and  Israel 
shall  surely  go  into  captivity  off  their  land. 

2.  a.  (viii.  i)  Thus  the  Lord  Jehovah  showed  me  : 
Lo,  there  was  a  basket  of  ripe  fruit.  (2)  And  he  said  : 
What  seest  thou,  Amos }  And  I  said  :  A  basket  of  ripe 
fruit.  Then  said  he  to  me  :  My  people  Israel  are  ripe 
for  their  end ;  I  will  not  again  pass  them  by.  (3)  But 
the  songs  of  the  palace  shall  become  howls  in  that  day, 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  47 

saith  the  Lord  Jehovah.  Many  shall  be  the  corpses ; 
everywhere  shall  they  be  cast.     Hush  ! 

b.  (4)  Hear  this,  ye  who  pant  after  the  needy  and  to 
destroy  the  humble  of  the  land,  (5)  saying  :  When  will 
the  new-moon  be  past,  that  we  may  sell  grain,  and  the 
Sabbath,  that  we  may  open  corn?  diminishing  the  ephah, 
and  enlarging  the  shekel,  and  providing  false  balances  : 
—  (6)  buying  the  lowly  for  money,  and  the  needy  for  a 
pair  of  shoes ;  —  may  even  sell  the  refuse  of  the  corn. 
(7)  Jehovah  hath  sworn  by  the  glory  of  Jacob :  I  will 
never  forget  all  their  deeds.  (8)  Shall  not  the  land  on 
this  account  tremble,  and  every  one  dwelling  in  it  mourn  } 
Yea,  it  shall  rise  like  the  Nile,  all  of  it,  [and  heave]  and 
fall  like  the  Nile  of  Egypt. 

(9)  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  saith  the 
Lord  Jehovah,  that  I  will  cause  the  sun  to  set  at 
noon,  and  bring  darkness  upon  the  land  in  bright  day ; 
(10)  and  I  will  turn  your  feasts  into  mourning,  and  all 
your  songs  into  lamentation ;  and  I  will  bring  upon  all 
loins  sackcloth,  and  upon  all  heads  baldness.  Yea,  I  will 
make  it  as  mourning  for  an  only  child,  and  the  end 
thereof  as  a  bitter  day. 

(11)  Lo,  days  are  coming,  saith  Jehovah,  when  I  will 
send  famine  into  the  land ;  not  hunger  for  bread  nor 
thirst  for  water,  but  to  hear  the  word[s]  of  Jehovah ; 
(12)  and  they  shall  stray  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the 
north  to  the  east  shall  they  wander,  seeking  the  word 
of  Jehovah,  but  they  shall  not  find  it.  (13)  In  that  day 
shall  the  fairest  maidens  and  the  youths  faint  for  thirst, 
(14)  who  swear  by  the  sin  of  Samaria,  and  say  :  By  thy 
god,  O  Dan !  and  :  By  the  way  of  Beersheba !  yea,  they 
shall  fall  and  not  rise  again. 


48  AMOS. 

3.  a.  (ix.  i)  I  saw  the  Lord  standing  by  the  altar; 
and  he  said :  Smite  the  capital  that  the  threshold  quake, 
and  break  them  upon  the  heads  of  all  of  them  ;  and  the 
last  of  them  I  will  slay  with  the  sword ;  there  shall  not 
a  fugitive  of  them  flee,  nor  shall  a  refugee  among  them 
escape.  (2)  If  they  burst  into  sheol,  thence  shall  my 
hand  fetch  them ;  and  if  they  climb  into  the  heavens, 
thence  will  I  bring  them  down ;  (3)  if  they  hide  them- 
selves in  the  top  of  Carmel,  there  will  I  seek  and  thence 
will  I  fetch  them ;  and  if  they  cover  themselves  from  my 
eyes  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  there  will  I  command  the 
serpent  to  bite  them ;  (4)  and  if  they  go  into  captivity 
before  their  enemies,  there  will  I  command  that  the 
sword  slay  them  ;  yea,  I  will  fix  my  eye  upon  them  for 
evil  and  not  for  good.  (5)  But  the  Lord  Jehovah  of 
hosts,  who  toucheth  the  earth  and  it  quaketh,  and  all 
who  dwell  in  it  mourn ;  yea,  it  riseth  like  the  Nile,  all 
of  it,  and  falleth  like  the  Nile  of  Egypt ;  (6)  who  build- 
eth  in  the  heavens  his  chambers,  and  as  for  his  vault, 
over  the  earth  hath  he  fixed  it ;  who  calleth  the  waters 
of  the  sea  and  poureth  them  upon  the  face  of  the  earth, 
—  Jehovah  is  his  name. 

b.  (7)  Are  ye  not  like  the  children  of  Kush  unto  me, 
children  of  Israel.?  saith  Jehovah.  If  I  brought  Israel 
up  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  did  I  not  also  bring  the 
Philistines  from  Caphtor,  and  Aram  from  Kir  }  (8)  Lo, 
the  eyes  of  the  Lord  Jehovah  are  against  the  sinful 
kingdom,  and  I  will  destroy  it  off  the  face  of  the 
ground ;  only  I  will  not  utterly  destroy  the  house  of 
Jacob,  saith  Jehovah.  (9)  For  lo,  I  will  command  and 
cause  the  house  of  Israel  to  be  shaken  among  all  nations 
as  graiJt  is  shaken  in  a  sieve,  but  there  shall  not  a  kernel 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  49 

fall  to  the  earth.  (lo)  By  the  sword  shall  all  the  sinners 
among  my  people  die,  who  say  :  Evil  will  not  reach, 
will  not  befall  us. 

c.  (ii)  In  that  day  will  I  raise  up  the  fallen  hut  of 
David,  and  wall  up  their  breaches,  and  raise  up  his 
ruins,  and  rebuild  it  as  in  days  of  old;  (12)  in  order 
that  they  may  possess  the  remnant  of  Edom  and  all  the 
nations  over  which  my  name  has  been  proclaimed,  saith 
Jehovah,  who  doeth  this.  (13)  Lo,  days  are  coming, 
saith  Jehovah,  when  the  plowman  shall  overtake  the 
reaper,  and  he  who  treadeth  grapes  him  who  soweth 
seed,  and  the  mountains  shall  drop  must,  and  all  the 
hills  flow  therewith.  (14)  Then  will  I  restore  my  captive 
people  Israel,  and  they  shall  rebuild  the  waste  cities 
and  dwell  in  them,  and  plant  vineyards  and  drink  the 
wine  from  them,  and  make  gardens  and  eat  the  fruit 
from  them.  (15)  Yea,  I  will  plant  them  upon  their 
soil,  and  they  shall  not  again  be  uprooted  from  their 
soil  which  I  have  given  them,  saith  Jehovah,  thy  God. 


COMMENTS. 

THE   TITLE   (i.  i). 

Each  of  the  prophetic  books  is  furnished  with  a  title 
of  some  sort.  Sometimes  it  is  very  brief,  like  that  pre- 
fixed to  the  single  chapter  of  which  the  book  of  Obadiah 
consists,  and  sometimes  it  takes  several  verses,  as  in  the 
case  of  that  of  Jeremiah.  In  most  cases  it  is  a  super- 
scription proper  without  a  predicate,  but  the  books  of 
Ezekiel,  Jonah,  Haggai,  and  Zechariah  begin  with  a 
complete   statement   concerning   at    least    the   author. 


50  AMOS. 

The  title  to  the  book  of  Amos  is  a  simple  superscription 
in  which,  besides  the  name  and  origin  of  the  author, 
and  the  date  of  his  prophetic  activity,  the  subject  of  his 
work  is  given.  Some  of  these  details  have  already  been 
partially  discussed,  but  it  will  be  worth  while  to  review 
them  in  their  connection. 

The  words  of :  the  book  of  Jeremiah  is  the  only 
other  that  is  described  as  the  zvords  of  a  prophet.  In 
the  titles  to  all  the  others  the  work  is  called  tJie  word  of 
Jehovah  (Eze.  i.  3  ;  Hos.  i.  i  ;  Joel  i.  i  ;  Jon.  i.  i ;  Mic. 
i.  I ;  Zaph.  i.  i  ;  Hag.  i.  i  ;  Zech.  i.  i);  or  the  vision  of 
a  given  prophet  (Isa.  i.  i  ;  Oba.  i);  or  a  burden  whose 
subject  is  not  always  defined  (Nah.  i.  i  ;  Hab.  i.  i  ; 
Mai.  i.  i).  This  peculiar  expression  would  at  first  sight 
seem  to  warrant  the  reader  in  regarding  the  books  thus 
described  as  purely  human  productions,  but  this  mis- 
take is  prevented,  in  the  case  of  Jeremiah,  by  the  addi- 
tion, in  V.  2,  of  the  relative  clause,  to  whom  came  the 
word  of  Jehovah,  etc.,  and  in  the  case  of  Amos  by 
the  use  of  a  verb  in  a  following  clause  which  refers 
the  substance  of  the  words  of  Amos  to  a  higher  source. 
—  Amos  (lit.  Bearer,^  comp.  Amasiah,  Jehovah  hath 
borne,  2  Chron.  xvii.  16)  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the 
father  of  Isaiah,  whose  name  is  the  same  in  Greek  ^  and 
might  be  spelled  with  the  same  letters  in  English,  but  is 
an  entirely  different  word  in  Hebrew.  Amos  and  Isaiah 
were  doubtless  closely  related,  but  the  tie  between  them 
was  one,  not  of  the  flesh,  but  of  the  spirit.  —  among  the 

1  Jewish  interpreters  say  that  the  prophet  was  so  named  because  he 
was  "  pressed  with  his  tongue,"  i.e.  slow  of  speech.     Waj.  Rab.  x.  2. 

2  Hence  the  mistake  of  Clement  of  Alexandria  and  other  early  Greek 
authors. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  51 

shepherds :  the  word  here  rendered  shepherd  occurs 
only  once  elsewhere  in  the  Old  Testament  (2  Kings  iii. 
4),  where  it  must  be  understood  in  the  sense  of  sheep- 
owner.  Hence  it  is  possible  that  Amos  may  have  owned 
the  sheep  that  he  tended.  Compare  vii.  14.^  The  peo- 
ple of  Tekoa  were  largely,  perhaps  almost  wholly, 
engaged  in  rearing  sheep,  and  Amos  was  one  of  their 
number.  —  from  Tekoa  :  Tekoa  was  their  home  and  the 
center  from  which  they  led  their  sheep  into  the  sur- 
rounding pastures.  It  was  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  and 
became  the  portion  of  Ashur,  son  of  Hezron,  of  the 
family  of  Pharez  (i  Chron.  ii.  24  ;  iv.  5).  Thence  came 
the  wise  woman  whom  Joab  sent  to  David  to  plead  for 
Absalom's  recall  from  banishment  (2  Sam.  xiv.  2),  and 
Ira,  one  of  David's  captains  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  26 ;  i  Chron. 
xi.  28  ;  xxvii.  9).  It  was  fortified  by  Rehoboam  (2  Chron. 
xi.  6),  and  was  thenceforward  a  rallying-point  for  the 
Jews  in  times  of  danger  (2  Chron.  xx.  20;  Jer.  vi.  i). 
It  was  re-occupied  after  the  exile,  and  its  inhabitants 
assisted  in  restoring  Jerusalem  (Neh.  iii.  5,  27).  It 
was  a  place  of  importance  as  late  as  the  period  of  the 
crusades,  but  it  is  now  only  a  heap  of  ruins.^  —  what  he 
saw :  the  relative  is  rendered  wJiat  instead  of  wJiichy 
to  indicate  that  the  antecedent  is  not  the  words  of  Amos 

1  The  Septuagint  has  kv  'AKKapei/x,  which  would  correspond  to  D^l-K, 
husbandmeti,  but  whether  the  translators  had  a  different  text  or  merely 
misread  that  of  the  Masoretes  is  hard  to  determine.  VoUers  {ZA  W,  III. 
262)  suggests  that  the  present  Greek  text  is  a  corruption  of  kv  'NaKKapel/x. 
Note  also  that,  according  to  the  Septuagint,  it  was  not  the  prophet,  but  the 
words  of  the  prophet,  'which  were  in  Akkareim. 

2  This  whole  clause,  who  .  .  .  Tekoa,  is  by  some  {e.g.  Orelli)  regarded  as 
a  later  but  reliable  addition  to  the  original  title.  Gratz  (^Geschichte  der 
yuden,  I.  403)  identifies  Tekoa  with  the  Eltekeh  of  Josh.  xix.  44,  thus 
making  Amos  a  Danite.     See  also  Oort,  TT^  XIV.  122  ff. 


52  AMOS. 

but  the  word  of  Jehovah  therein  contained,  of  which 
alone  it  is  proper  to  say  that  he  beheld  it  in  the  sense  of 
the  verb  here  used ;  for  this  verb,  which  only  rarely  in 
poetry  means  see  in  the  sense  of  perceive,  is  the  proper 
word  by  which  to  describe  the  insight  with  which  the 
prophets  are  represented  as  endowed.  Thus,  according 
to  the  title,  the  book  of  Isaiah  is  The  vision  of  Isaiah, 
the  son  of  Amos,  which  he  beheld,  etc.  Ewald  endeavors 
to  do  justice  to  this  verb  in  the  title  to  Amos  by  render- 
ing the  clause,  which  he  as  a  seer  spake.  The  words  are 
the  words  of  Amos,  but  the  substance  of  his  message  is 
of  divine  origin  and  authority.  See  Jer.  i.  if.  —  con- 
cerning Israel,  i.e.  Israel  in  the  narrower  sense,  the 
northern  kingdom  (i  Kings  xii.  i6ff.).  Israel,  in  this 
sense,  was  the  especial  object  of  the  mission  of  Amos, 
yet  he  by  no  means  leaves  Judah  unnoticed  (ii.  4 ;  iii.  i ; 
vi.  I  f.  ;  ix.  11).  Perhaps,  however,  some  of  these  refer- 
ences to  Judah  were  an  afterthought  added  when  the 
prophet  came  to  put  his  words  into  permanent  form. 
There  are  other  indications  that  the  book  of  Amos  was 
not  written  until  some  time  after  the  original  prophecies 
were  delivered.  —  Uzziah  :  also  called  Azariah  (2  Kings 
XV.  i),  the  son  of  Amasiah,  who  reigned  over  Judah 
longest  of  all  her  kings.  The  events  of  his  reign  are 
described  2  Kings  xiv.  21  f.  ;  xv.  i  ff.  and  2  Chron. 
xxvi.  I  ff.  Later  in  his  reign  the  prophets  Hosea  and 
Isaiah  made  their  appearance  (Isa.  i.  i  ;  Hos.  i.  i).  For 
a  discussion  of  his  date  see  the  Introductory  Studies  II. 
— Jeroboam:  the  second  of  his  name,  the  son  of  Jehoash, 
who,  longer  than  any  of  the  rest  of  the  kings  of  Israel, 
maintained  himself  upon  the  throne,  and,  in  the  course 
of  his  reign,  restored  the  kingdom  to  its  original  limits. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  53 

His  reign  is  described  2  Kings  xiv.  23  ff.  For  his  date 
see  the  Introductory  Studies  11.  — two  years  before  the 
earthquake :  for  a  discussion  of  the  chronological  value 
of  these  words  see  Introductory  Studies  11.  There  is 
room  for  doubt  as  to  their  authenticity.  Of  course,  if 
Amos  at  once  committed  his  prophecies  to  writing  he 
could  not  have  prefixed  to  them  the  present  title ;  and  if 
the  title  or  any  part  of  it  is  later  than  the  rest  of  the 
book,  especially  if  it  is  considerably  later,  any  data  ccn- 
tained  in  it  may  be  mistaken. ^  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
possible  that  Amos  delayed  his  book  some  time  after  his 
mission  to  Israel  was  fulfilled,  and  himself  added  to  the 
title  the  note  of  time  under  discussion.  In  this  case 
such  allusions  to  earthquakes  as  iv.  11,  viii.  8,  ix.  5,  and 
perhaps  ii.  13,  might  be  explained  as  details  which  did 
not  belong  to  his  original  utterances.  They  certainly 
sound  like  reminiscenc.es  of  the  great  "  earthquake  in 
the  days  of  Uzziah."     Compare  Oort,  TT  135  ff. 

(2)  Said  he,  lit.  and^  or  then^  he  said,  i.e.  after  he  had 
seen  the  vision  of  the  future  with  which  Jehovah  had 
honored  him,  he,  Amos,  made  it  known  to  those  whom 
it  concerned. 

I. 

APPROACHING  JUDGMENT  (i.  i-ii.  16). 

The  first  part  of  the  book  opens  with  an  abrupt  proc- 
lamation whose  terrors  are  only  enhanced  by  its  indefi- 

1  Hoffmann  {ZAW,  HI.  87  ff.,  122  f.)  rejects  HTH  ItTK  and  all  that 
follows,  explaining  it  as  a  later  addition  to  the  original  title  based  on  infer- 
ences from  various  passages  in  the  book ;  e.g.  iv.  1 1  and  viii.  9,  combined 
with  vii.  8  and  viii.  2.  Wellhausen  {^SV,  V.)  denies  the  above  statements, 
and  asserts  that  the  title,  though  later  than  the  rest  of  the  book,  must  have 
been  added  by  a  contemporary  of  Amos. 


54  AMOS. 

niteness  ;  and  this  is  followed  by  an  indictment  against 
each  of  the  surrounding  nations  and,  finally,  against 
Israel. 

The  first  half  of  the  tetrastich  with  which  Amos 
begins  his  prophecies  is,  word  for  word,  a  repetition  of 
the  first  half  of  Joel  iv.  i6.  The  order  of  the  two  books 
would  suggest  that  Amos  quoted  from  Joel,  and  there 
seems  at  first  sight  to  be  a  confirmation  of  this  sugges- 
tion in  the  fact  that,  while,  in  the  book  of  Joel,  these 
words  are  a  part  of  a  connected  discourse,  Amos  makes 
them  a  sort  of  text,  of  which  his  book  is  the  develop- 
ment (Meyrick).  The  divergence  in  the  immediate  con- 
text might  be  similarly  interpreted,  since  Amos  would  be 
more  likely  to  diverge  from  Joel  than  Joel  from  Amos. 
These  indications,  however,  are  found  to  be  misleading, 
when  one  observes  that  Joel's  conception  of  the  effect 
produced  is  an  exaggeration  of  that  of  Amos.  This 
is  proof  that  the  former  quoted  from  the  latter,  and 
not  vice  versa.  P"or  another  variation  on  the  prophet's 
words  see  Jer.  xxv.  30.  Compare  Gunning.  —  Jehovah 
shall  roar :  Joel  uses  the  word  ivar  as  a  synonym 
for  tJiunder  (see  Job  xxxvii.  4),  but  Amos  has  in  mind 
the  comparison  implied  in  the  word,  as  is  clear  from  iii. 
8,  where  Jehovah  appears  under  the  name  of  the  lion. 
—  from  Zion :  Zion  is  here,  as  often  (vi.  i  ;  Isa.  ii.  3), 
applied  to  the  whole  of  the  holy  city.  Its  original  appli- 
cation is  disputed,  but  the  latest  researches  tend  to  show 
that  it  was  first  of  all  the  name  of  the  hill  now  called 
Ophel,  then  of  the  whole  ridge,  on  the  northern  summit 
of  which  the  temple  was  built,  and  finally  of  the  city  of 
which  this  temple  was  the  chief  ornament.  See  Klaiber, 
ZDPV,  III.  189  ff.;  IV.  18  ff.;  "^le^m,  Handwdrterbuch 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  55 

des  Biblischen  AltertJmnis.  Compare  Smith,  Bible  Dic- 
tionary, —  from  Jerusalem :  Amos,  though  a  Jew, 
nowhere  lays  stress  on  any  pecuUar  relation  between 
Jehovah  and  his  own  nation.  It  would  not  have  been 
wise,  in  view  of  his  object,  to  dwell  on  any  such  topic. 
Yet  he  now  and  then  uses  language  which  shows  that 
he  regarded  Judah  as  enjoying  such  a  relation.  Here, 
e.g.^  the  capital  of  Judah  is  represented  as  the  abode  of 
Jehovah,  and  implicitly  as  the  proper  center  of  worship. 
In  ii.  4  the  Jews  are  described  as  the  recipients,  and 
therefore  the  custodians,  of  the  law  of  Jehovah.  If  it 
be  objected  that  the  first  of  these  passages  is  a  quota- 
tion, and  the  second  perhaps  an  interpolation,  there 
remains  ix.  ii,  in  which  it  is  the  royal  house  of  Judah 
through  which  the  restoration  of  Israel  is  to  be  wrought. 
—  the  pastures  of  the  shepherds :  the  uplands  in  south- 
eastern Palestine  on  which  Amos  and  his  followers 
pastured  their  flocks.  —  shall  wilt :  as  if  the  roar  of 
Jehovah  were  accompanied  by  a  desolating  sirocco  (Hos. 
xiii.  15). — Carmel,  lit.  the  Garde^i}  There  was  a  city 
Carmel,  the  home  of  Nabal  (i  Sam.  xxv.  5),  not  far  from 
Tekoa,  southward ;  the  prophet,  however,  has  in  mind 
the  mountain  of  this  name  on  the  coast  of  Palestine, 
west  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  It  is  a  ridge,  rather 
than  a  peak  like  Tabor.  It  is  more  than  twelve  miles 
long  from  southeast  to  northwest,  and  about  1800  feet 
high  toward  the  southeastern  end  where  Elijah's  altar 
was  situated,  but  only  about  500  feet  high  where  it  juts 
into  the  Mediterranean.  Its  beauty  and  fertility  were 
proverbial  among  the  Hebrews  (Isa.  xxxv.  2 ;  Jer.  1.  19; 

1  This  name,  like  several  others,  usually  has  the  article  in  Hebrew.    See 

lub'jnz/.  2;  jtrsniv.  i,  etc. 


56  AMOS. 

Cant.  vii.  5).  It  seldom  suffered  with  the  surrounding 
country  from  drought  or  other  causes  ;  hepce  to  picture 
it  as  withering  at  the  voice  of  Jehovah  Was  to  predict 
an  appalling  visitation  (Isa.  xxxiii.  9 ;  Nah.  i.  4).  For 
a  description  of  the  present  condition  of  Mount  Carmel 
and  its  inhabitants  see  Oliphant,  Haifa,  82  ff. 

The  first  of  the  nations  to  be  called  to  account  for 
its  sins  is 

1.    Syria,  vv.  3-5, 

represented  by  its  capital,  Damascus. 

3.  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  or  T/ms  said  Jehovah:  the 
decree  has  passed  and  the  fate  of  the  nation  is  sealed 
when  the  prophet  delivers  his  message.  This  solemn 
formula  is  prefixed  to  each  of  the  sections  devoted  to 
the  several  peoples,  and  in  all  but  three  cases  there  is 
a  similar  formula  at  the  end.  The  effect  is  to  keep 
constantly  before  the  mind  that  it  is  Jehovah,  and  not 
the  prophet,  by  whom  the  nations  are  condemned.  — 
Damascus :  for  that  part  of  Aram  or  Syria  of  which  it 
was  the  capital  (2  Sam.  viii.  6) ;  a  country  whose  extent 
varied  at  different  times,  but  in  the  days  of  Amos  must 
have  been  considerable,  since  it  included  Beth-eden  on 
the  east  and  the  valley  between  the  two  ranges  of 
Lebanon  on  the  west  (v.  5),  though  on  the  south  it  had 
probably  lost  the  territory  conquered  from  Israel  (2  Kings 
viii.  28) ;  for  we  are  expressly  told  that  Jehoash  had 
retaken  from  Benhadad  the  cities  which  Hazael  had 
taken  from  Jehoahaz  (2  Kings  xiii.  25),  and  further 
that  Jeroboam  II.  restored  the  border  of  Israel  from  the 
entrance  to  Hamath  to  the  sea  of  the  Arabah  (2  Kings 
xiv.  25).  The  relations  between  Syria  and  the  neigh- 
boring nations  were  seldom  pleasant.     Between  it  and 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS,  57 

Israel  there  had  been  almost  constant  war  since  the 
days  of  Baasha  and  Benhadad  I.  (i  Kings  xv.  i8). 
During  this  long  feud  there  had  been  plenty  of  oppor- 
tunities for  cruelty  on  both  sides,  but  the  Syrians  seem 
to  have  outdone  their  opponents  and  obtained  a  reputa- 
tion for  inhumanity.  Because  they  were  inhuman,  not 
merely  because  they  had  practised  their  inhumanity  on 
the  chosen  people,  Amos,  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  con- 
demns them  to  destruction.  —  three,  yea  four,  times : 
this  idiom  is  used  to  denote  an  indefinite,  or,  as  here, 
an  unlimited  number.  The  prophet  does  not  mean  that 
the  Syrians  have  been  guilty  of  just  four  sins,  for  the 
fourth,  or  all,  of  which  they  are  now  to  be  punished, 
but  that  they  have  repeatedly  transgressed,  and  there- 
fore deserve  the  penalty  to  be  inflicted.  Other  examples 
of  this  use  of  various  pairs  of  numbers  are  found  Job 
xxxiii.  14;  Prov.  xxx.  15,  18;  vi.  16;  Eccl.  xi.  2}  See 
Ges.25  1 34,  6  R.  —  I  will  not  revoke  it :  this  clause 
has  been  variously  interpreted.  The  verb  means  liter- 
ally timi  back.  Some  {e.g.,  Jerome)  have  taken  it  in  the 
sense  of  convert  and  explained  the  pronoun  as  referring 
to  Syria  or  its  people.  Most  commentators,  on  the  other 
hand,  render  the  verb  reverse  or  revoke  and  refer  the 
pronoun  to  the  utterance  of  v.  2  (Ewald),  or  to  the 
penalty  threatened  v.  2  and  described  vv.  4f.  (Marck). 
It  seems  best  to  explain  it  as  referring  to  a  threat  of 
an  earlier  date,  whose  fulfilment  had  been  so  long  de- 
layed that  men  began  to  disregard  it  and  even  ques- 

^  Jewish  interpreters  take  the  clause  literally,  and  D.  Kimchi  undertakes 
to  state  the  four  sins  which  had  exhausted  the  patience  of  Jehovah;  viz. 
the  three  campaigns  against  Baasha,  Ahab,  and  Jehoahaz  of  Israel,  and 
the  fourth  against  Ahaz  of  Judah  (the  last  of  which  occurred  twenty-five 
years  after  Amos'  prophecy  was  uttered !).    See  also  Jerome  on  the  passage. 


58  AMOS. 

tion  whether  Jehovah  really  took  note  of  their  actions 
(vi.  i).  It  is  this  prophetic  sentence  of  which  Amos 
makes  Jehovah  say  that  he  will  not  revoke  it.  Compare 
Isa.lv.  11.^ — because  introduces  an  instance,  one  of 
many  that  might  be  cited  to  justify  the  severity  of  the 
penalty  threatened.  —  they  threshed  Gilead  :  Gilead,  in 
a  narrower  sense,  included  the  country  east  of  the  Jor- 
dan, between  the  Yarmuk  on  the  north  and  the  Arnon 
on  the  south  (Deut.  iii.  13);  but  in  a  broader  sense  it 
was  sometimes  applied  to  the  entire  region  east  of  the 
Jordan  claimed  by  the  Israelites  (Num.  xxxii.  29).  It  is 
used  in  both  senses  2  Kings  x.  32  f.,  and  it  is  that  pas- 
sage in  which  is  recorded  the  event  to  which,  in  all 
probability,  Amos  here  refers,  —  the  invasion  of  Gilead 
by  Hazael.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that,  2  Kings  xiii.  7, 
the  historian,  in  describing  the  treatment  of  Israel  by 
the  Syrians,  uses  terms  similar  to  those  employed  by 
Amos.  "  The  king  of  Syria,"  he  says,  "  had  destroyed 
them,  and  made  them  like  the  dust  in  threshing."  — 
with  iron-shod  sledges  :  ^  the  machines  here  meant  are 
still  used  in  the  East  under  nearly  the  same  name. 
There  are  two  forms,  one  of  which  has  small  rollers, 
while  both  are  armed  with  bits  of  stone  or  iron.  See 
Thomson,  The  Lmid  and  tJie  Booky  I.  150  ff.  If,  as  is 
probably  the  case,  Hazael  is  here  accused  of  dragging 
these  sledges  over  his  captives,  he  was  not  the  only  con- 
queror of  antiquity  who  practiced  such  cruelty  (Prov. 
XX.  26).      Even   David,  on  at  least  one  occasion,  was 

1  Hoffmann  proposes  to  point  the  verb  13l3''tri<,  and  refer  the  suffix  to 
Damascus ;    i.e.  Syria. 

2  bran  msi-inn  for  d^iiinn  brc^n  ^r\ti'2,  the  adjective  pnn  being 

used,  as  in  Isa.  xxviii.  27,  for  the  noun  to  which  it  should  strictly  be 
attached.     See  Isa.  xli.  15. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  59 

guilty  of  similar  inhumanity  (2  Sam.  xii.  31).  Hazael 
and  his  people,  however,  had  transgressed  three,  yea 
four,  times  in  this  or  other  directions.  Compare  Pusey. 
4.  I  will  send  fire :  fire  is  a  frequent  figure  for  God's 
wrath  or  the  agency  through  which  it  is  manifested  : 
see  V.  6 ;  vii.  4 ;  Deut.  xxxii.  22 ;  especially  war :  see 
V.  14;  ii.  2  ;  Num.  xxi.  28.  It  is,  as  appears  from  what 
follows,  a  devastating  war  with  which  Amos  threatens 
Syria.  Hosea  (viii.  14)  adopts  the  form  of  this  refrain, 
and  Jeremiah  (xlix.  27)  copies  the  verse  with  only  slight 
modifications.^  —  Hazael:  the  usurper  whose  elevation 
to  the  throne  was  foretold  by  Elisha  (2  Kings  viii.  7  ff.), 
the  contemporary  of  Joram  (2  Kings  viii.  29),  Jehu 
(2  Kings  x.  32),  and  Jehoahaz  (2  Kings  xiii.  22),  kings 
of  Israel,  whom,  one  after  another,  he  made  his  vassals. 
He  must,  therefore,  have  reigned  until  about  815  b.c. 
(comp.  2  Kings  xiii.  22).  He  is  here  mentioned  as  the 
founder  of  the  dynasty  to  which  the  king  who  ruled 
Syria  when  Amos  prophesied  belonged.  —  Benhadad : 
probably  the  son  and  successor  of  Hazael  (2  Kings  xiii. 
24),  the  third  of  his  name  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. He  was  contemporary  with  Jehoash  (2  Kings 
xiii.  25).  It  is  not  impossible  that  he  outlived  this  king 
of  Israel  to  see  his  kingdom  further  weakened  by  Jero- 
boam II.  (2  Kings  xiv.  28),  and  hear  its  overthrow  pre- 
dicted by  the  prophet  Amos,  for  he  may  be  the  same 
with  Mari  whom  Ramman-nirari,  803  B.C.,  conquered 
(Schrader,  iT^T  21 1  ff.);  but  it  is  not  likely  that  he 
enjoyed  so  long  a  reign.  If,  therefore,  this  Benhadad 
is  the  son  of  Hazael,  he  is  here  mentioned  merely  as 

1  The  accent  of  Tinbtn  remains  on  the  penult  because  the  following 
word  is  a  monosyllable.     Ges.^^  49,  3  R. 


60  AMOS. 

the  successor  of  his  father.^  The  force,  then,  of  the 
parallelism  is  that  the  palace  of  the  Syrian  kings,  with 
all  its  strength  and  beauty,  shall  be  destroyed.  Com- 
pare Pusey. 

5.  the  bar  of  Damascus :  the  bar  of  bronze  or  iron, 
with  which  the  gates  of  the  cities  were  fastened  (Jud. 
xvi.  3 ;  I  Kings  iv.  3 ;  Isa.  xlv.  2),  is  here  a  symbol  for 
the  defenses  of  the  capital.  Its  strength  must  yield 
before  the  instruments  of  Jehovah's  vengeance.  Damas- 
cus is  here  the  city  as  distinguished  from  the  kingdom 
(comp.  V.  3).  It  was  a  very  ancient  city,  for  it  had 
existed  ever  since  Abraham  migrated  to  Palestine  (Gen. 
xiv.  5  ;  XV.  i),  and  perhaps  from  a  much  earlier  period. 
Moreover,  it  was  wealthy  and  populous.  Situated  in  a 
well-watered  oasis  on  the  line  of  traffic  between  eastern 
and  western  Asia,  it  had,  in  spite  of  the  reverses  that  it 
had  suffered,  maintained  its  place  among  the  foremost 
cities  of  the  East.  The  same  causes  that  made  it  what 
it  was  when  Amos  predicted  its  overthrow  have  repeat- 
edly restored  it  and  preserved  to  this  day  much  of  its 
beauty  and  importance.  Its  modern  name  is  Demeshk- 
esh-Shams,  Damascus  of  Syria,  or,  more  briefly,  esh- 
Shams,  and  it  has  a  population  of  about  125,000. 
Thomson,  LB^  III.  361  ff.  — him  who  dwelleth  therein, 
lit.  a  dweller :  the  inhabitants  of  Bikath-awen ;  the 
people  in  distinction  from  the  ruler ;  yet  not  necessarily 
all  of  them,  for  perhaps  a  remnant  may  be  found  among 
the  Syrians  who  are  to  go  into  captivity.  —  Bikath-awen  : 

1  The  Septuagint  here  has  vlov  "ASe/j,  son  of  Adar,  as  if  the  Hebrew  text 
were  "nn"p ;  and  this  is  probably  the  original  name,  for  in  the  Assyrian 
inscriptions,  where  the  name  of  Benhadad  II.  occurs,  he  is  always  called 
Bin-hidri  (Schrader,  in  Riehm,  HBA).  See  also  the  reading  llU'lin  for 
ntU'nnn,  i  Chron.  xviil.  3. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  61 

the  literal  meaning  of  these  words  is  valley  of  vanity ^ 
and  some  of  the  earlier  interpreters  {e.g.,  Jerome)  were 
content  to  regard  them  as  appellatives  ;  but  most  mod- 
ern commentators,  with  the  Targum  and  Peshita,  find 
in  them,  more  or  less  disguised,  the  name  of  some  par- 
ticular locality.  The  most  plausible  hypothesis  is  that 
Amos  here  refers  to  the  valley  stretching  nearly  north 
and  south  between  the  two  ranges  of  Lebanon,  "  the 
valley  of  Lebanon"  of  the  book  of  Joshua  (xi.  17;  xii. 
7),  the  Coele-Syria  of  the  Greeks,  and  el-Buka'a  of  the 
present  day.  In  this  valley  was  situated  Baalbec  (Baal- 
buka'a),  whose  ruined  temples  are  still  the  admiration 
of  travelers.  It  was  also  called  Heliopolis,  as  a  center 
of  the  sun-  or  Baal-worship  imported  from  the  city  of 
the  same  name  in  Egypt.  But  the  Egyptian  name  of 
that  city  was  On  (Gen.  xli.  45).  Hence  it  is  supposed 
that  Baalbec  was  sometimes  called  by  the  same  name, 
and  that  Amos,  slightly  changing  the  vocalization,  made 
of  On,  Azuen,  vanity  or  idolatry ;  and  this  supposition 
is  rendered  the  more  credible  by  the  fact  that  Ezekiel 
(xxx.  17)  treats  in  precisely  the  same  way  the  name  of  the 
Egyptian  On.^  It  is,  then,  the  inhabitants  of  the  beau- 
tiful valley  of  Lebanon,  the  devotees  of  the  splendid 
worship  at  Baalbec,  who  are  here  threatened.  —  him 
who  holdeth  the  scepter  :  the  ruler  in  distinction  from 
the  subject. — Beth-eden  :  it  is  clear  that  this  also  must 
be  regarded  as  a  proper  name  (compare  the  Vulgate), 
but  it  is  not  so  clear  where  the  place  which  bore  it  was 
located.      It  has  been  identified  with  Ehden,  on  the 

1  The  Septuagint  renders  pXTUp-tt  ^/c  7re5/ou  '^v;  but  this  fact  is 
valueless,  since  the  Greek  translators  render  pK  'Q,v  even  where  it  is  sub- 
stituted for  bx  in  the  name  7X"n'n  by  Hosea  (iv.  15,  v,  8,  x.  5,  8). 


62  AMOS. 

eastern  slope  of  Lebanon,  near  the  great  cedars  (Baur) ; 
with  Beit  el-Janne,  near  the  foot  of  Hermon,  eastward 
(Rosenmuller) ;  with  Jubb  Adin,  near  Malula,  north- 
east of  Damascus  (Steiner) ;  with  Jusieh,  near  Riblah, 
north  of  Baalbec  (Keil) ;  and  finally  with  the  Eden  of 
Eze.  xxvii.  23,  and  the  Bit-adini  of  the  Assyrian  inscrip- 
tions, a  district  on  both  sides  of  the  middle  Euphrates, 
whose  inhabitants  are  called  sons  of  Eden,  2  Kings  xix. 
12  and  Isa.  xxxvii.  12  (Riehm,  HBA  ;  Schrader,  KAT 
327).  If  the  last  suggestion  is  correct,  **  the  holder  of 
the  scepter  "  must  be  explained  as  the  ally  or  viceroy 
of  the  Syrian  monarch.  Wherever  Beth-eden  may  have 
been  situated,  the  general  sense  of  the  passage  is  evi- 
dent. It  threatens  the  Syrians,  high  and  low,  with 
slaughter,^  —  the  people  of  Aram :  those  who  have  not 
been  put  to  the  sword.  —  Kir :  the  place  from  which, 
according  to  ix.  7,  they  emigrated,  and  to  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  Hebrew  of  2  Kings  xvi.  9,  they  were  actually 
deported.  The  attempts  to  locate  this  region  have  thus 
far  been  unsuccessful.  The  favorite  view  has  been  that 
it  was  on  or  near  the  river  Kur  in  northern  Armenia 
(Baur).  One  of  the  latest  conjectures  places  it  in  the 
region  of  Kuris,  north  of  Aleppo  (Socin),  but  a  comparison 
of  Isa.  xxi.  2  with  xxii.  6  would  tempt  one  (with  Bochart 
or  Ritter)  to  look  for  it  in  Media.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  further  research  may  lead  to  its  identification.^ 
The  difficulty  of  locating   Kir  makes   it   impossible 

1  The  rendering  of  the  Septuagint,  KaraKSxpu)  (pvXrjv  e^  avbpCbv  Xappdu, 
is  quoted  in  support  of  the  last  hypothesis  above  mentioned  (Riehm, 
HBA) ;  but  the  translators  were  so  evidently  at  sea  with  reference  to  the 
rest  of  the  sentence  that  it  does  not  seem  strange  to  find  them  mistaking 
p»  for  pn. 

2  Note  the  curious  mistake  of  the  Septuagint. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  63 

to  gather  from  this  passage  through  whose  instrumen- 
tality Amos  expected  Syria  to  be  punished ;  but  it 
appears  from  v.  27  that  he  beheved  Assyria  appointed 
to  overthrow  Israel,  and  there  is  no  reason  for  suppos- 
ing that  he  had  any  other  power  in  mind  when  threat- 
ening the  surrounding  nations  with  destruction.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  Syria  was,  within  a  few  years,  subdued 
by  Tiglath-pileser  III.  The  first  attack,  according  to 
the  annals  of  this  king,  was  made  in  734  B.C.  In  733 
he  laid  siege  to  Damascus  and,  in  732,  after  completely 
devastating  the  surrounding  country,  he  took  the  city, 
put  to  death  Rezin,  its  king,  and  carried  its  people 
by  thousands  into  captivity  (Schrader,  KAT  264  f.). 
Whether  the  captives  were  actually  carried  to  Kir  is 
uncertain,  for  though  the  Hebrew  text  of  2  Kings  xvi.  9 
so  states,  the  Greek  translation  omits  any  exact  des- 
tination. 

2.   Philistia,  vv.  6-Z. 

6.  Gaza :  here,  as  the  largest  town,  represents  Phil- 
istia, the  narrow  strip  of  territory  along  the  shore  of 
the  Mediterranean,  beginning  just  south  of  Jaffa,  and 
extending  to  the  Egyptian  frontier.  Its  people  were 
devoted  to  commerce,  like  the  Phoenicians,  but  more 
warlike  than  their  northern  neighbors.  It  was  the  dread 
of  their  armies  that  made  the  Hebrews  shun  the  direct 
route  to  Palestine,  which,  by  the  way,  is  but  another 
form  of  the  name  Philistia  (Ex.  xiii.  17).  They  seem 
to  have  been  partially  conquered  under  Joshua  (Jud.  i. 
18),  but  they  soon  regained  their  independence,  and  so 
thoroughly  subdued  the  invaders  (Jud.  xv.  11)  that  it 
required  the  inspired  enthusiasm  of  Samuel  to  rouse 
his  people  to  resistance  (i  Sam.  vii.  3  ff.),  and  all  the 


64  AMOS. 

skill  and  courage  of  Saul  and  David  to  accomplish  their 
deliverance  (i  Sam.  xxxi.  4;  2  Sam.  viii.  i).  Even  then 
the  Philistines  did  not  cease  to  be  dangerous,  but,  espe- 
cially after  the  division  of  the  kingdom  of  David,  took 
advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  inflict  injury  upon 
their  Hebrew  neighbors.  Thus  it  is  related  that,  in  the 
reign  of  Joram,  they  joined  the  Arabians  in  an  attack 
upon  Judah,  when  Jerusalem  was  captured  and  plun- 
dered, and  many  of  its  inhabitants,  including  almost  the 
entire  royal  family,  carried  into  captivity  (2  Chron.  xxi. 
16  f.).  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  Philistines 
should  be  found  among  the  peoples  condemned  by  Jeho- 
vah, or  that  Amos  should  be  able  to  mention  more  than 
one  transgression  for  which  they  deserved  condemna- 
tion. —  they  led  completely  captive  :  made  captive  by 
wholesale  (Jer.  xiii.  19).  The  expression  here  used  at 
once  reminds  one  of  the  passage  just  quoted  (2  Chron. 
xxi.  16  f.).  The  complete  captivity  can,  therefore, 
hardly  be  any  other  than  that  in  the  reign  of  Joram 
(compare  Orelli).  —  to  deliver  to  Edom,  the  bitterest  ene- 
mies of  the  Hebrews.  Those  who  place  Joel  before 
Amos  suppose  Joel  iv.  6  and  this  passage  to  refei;  to  the 
same  transaction,  although  Joel  says  that  the  captives 
were  sold  to  the  sons  of  J  avail.  The  usual  method  of 
explaining  the  discrepancy  is  to  suppose  that,  by  the 
sons  of  Javan,  not  the  Greeks  (compare  Gen.  x.  4),  but 
a  tribe  in  the  Arabian  peninsula  are  intended  (compare 
Henderson),  and  Eze.  xxvii.  19  (compare  v.  13)  is  quoted 
in  support  of  this  view.^  The  Edomites  are  thus  made 
the  middlemen  by  whom  the  captives  were  forwarded 
to  their  destination  (Baur). 

1  Cornill  proposes  a  change  in  the  text  of  Eze.  xxvii.  18  f.  that  would 
destroy  the  force  of  this  reference. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  65 

7.  Gaza,  here  the  city,  was  the  most  southern  of  the 
five  cities  of  which  the  PhiHstine  confederacy  was  com- 
posed. Like  Damascus,  it  owed  its  origin  and  impor- 
tance to  the  necessities  of  commerce,  and,  like  Damascus, 
though  from  time  immemorial  it  has  been  a  football  for 
the  nations  of  the  Orient,  it  has  remained  to  this  day 
one  of  the  most  important  cities  of  western  Asia.  It  is 
still,  under  the  name  Ghuzzeh,  a  town  of  some  16,000  or 
18,000  inhabitants.     Thomson,  Z^,  III.  179  ff. 

8.  Ashdod  :  Gr.  Azotits  (Acts  viii.  40),  near  the  coast, 
toward  the  northern  border  of  Philistia,  on  the  highway 
between  Egypt  and  Syria,  was  also  a  city  of  importance. 
It  was,  according  to  i  Sam.  v.,  the  seat  of  the  worship 
of  the  fish-god,  Dagon.  It  was  always  a  fortress  of 
consequence,  but  its  strength  must  have  been  greatly 
increased  after  the  days  of  Amos;  for  though  Uzziah 
seems  to  have  taken  it  without  great  difficulty  (2  Chron. 
xxvi.  6),  when  attacked  by  Psammetichus,  king  of 
Egypt,  it  sustained  the  longest  (29  years)  siege  on 
record.  All  that  now  remains  of  it  is  a  miserable  village 
on  the  ruins  of  its  former  strength,  surrounded  by  gar- 
dens and  orchards  (Thomson,  Z^  158  ff.). — him  who 
holdeth  the  scepter :  each  of  these  cities  had  its  own 
king.  Thus,  e.g.^  when  Sennachrib  invaded  Philistia, 
701  B.C.,  the  king  of  Gaza  was  Zilbel,  of  Ashdod 
Mitinti,  of  Ashkelon  Zidka,  and  of  Ekron  Padi 
(Schrader,  KAT  291  ff.).  —  Ashkelon:  at  this  time  the 
only  seaport  of  Philistia,  was  situated  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean, north  of  Gaza,  a  little  more  than  half  the  dis- 
tance between  it  and  Ashdod.  It  is  famous  as  the 
birthplace  of  Herod  the  Great,  who  adorned  it  with 
splendid   public   buildings.     In  the  period  of   the  cru- 


66  AMOS. 

sades,  on  account  of  its  strength  it  was  called  "the 
bride  of  Syria";  but  it  was  finally,  in  1270,  destroyed 
by  Sultan  Bibars,  and  it  has  never  since  risen  out  of  its 
ashes.  The  ruins  which  mark  its  site  bear  the  name 
el-Jurah  (Thomson,  LB,  III.  170  ff.). — I  will  turn  my 
hand  against :  not  in  the  sense  of  timiing  it  back  (Baur), 
but  in  that  of  extending  it  in  a  new  movement.  See 
'2^2  Sam.  viii.  3.  —  Ekron,  perhaps  the  least  important  of 
'  the  cities  of  the  Philistine  confederacy,  lay  to  the  north- 
east of  Ashdod,  on  the  border  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah. 
Its  local  deity  was  Beelzebub  (2  Kings  i.  2),  the  fly-god, 
who  was  identified  with  Satan  by  the  later  Jews  (Matt. 
X.  25).  No  mention  of  Ekron  is  found  in  history  after 
the  crusades.  Its  site  was  unknown  in  modern  times 
until  Robinson  identified  it  with  a  village  called  Akir,  a 
few  miles  east  of  Jabneh  (Robinson,  Res.  II.  227  ff. ; 
Thomson,  LB,  III.  132  ff.).  — the  remnant  of  the  Philis- 
tines does  not  mean  the  people  of  the  remaining  cities 
and  villages  not  mentioned  in  the  above  enumeration, 
but,  as  in  the  case  of  Syria,  Amos  says,  to  close,  that 
the  people,  i.e.  all  that  are  left,  will  be  carried  into  cap- 
tivity, so  here  he  adds  that  the  last  of  the  Philistines, 
whether  in  the  four  cities  mentioned  or  in  any  other 
part  of  the  country,  will  perish.  It  has  seemed  strange 
that  so  important  a  town  as  Gath  should  not  have  been 
mentioned  by  the  prophet,  and  various  reasons  have 
been  given  for  its  omission  ;  e.g.,  because  it  belonged  to 
the  kingdom  of  Judah  (Kimchi) ;  because  it  had  been 
recovered  by  Uzziah  (Baur);  because  it  had  been 
captured  by  Hazael  (Hitzig);  and  finally,  and  this  is 
doubtless  the  true  explanation,  because  the  mode  of 
presentation  adopted  by  Amos  did  not  require  a  com- 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  67 

plete  enumeration  of  the  Philistine  Pentapolis.  In  the 
indictment,  v.  6,  Gaza  alone  stands  for  them  all.  Why 
should  they  all  be  mentioned  in  this  sentence  ?  In  the 
following  section  {vv.  9-10)  Tyre  throughout  represents 
Phoenicia.  See  Wellhausen,  5  F,  V.  —  the  Lord  Jeho- 
vah :  the  most  frequent  compound  designation  for 
God  in  the  book  of  Amos.  See  the  Supplementary 
Studies  II.i 

Philistia,  after  having  been  partially  conquered  by 
Uzziah  (2  Chron.  xxvi.  6),^  like  Syria,  had  to  suffer  at 
the  hands  of  the  Assyrians.  In  fact,  as  already  stated, 
Tiglath-pileser  III.  gave  it  and  Israel  his  first  attention. 
In  a  fragmentary  account  of  his  expedition  of  734  B.C. 
occurs  the  following  reference  to  this  region  :  "  Hanno 
of  Gaza,  who  had  fled  before  my  troops,  escaped  to 
Egypt.  Gaza  ...  [I  conquered],  its  goods,  its  gods 
.  .  .  [carried  off],  my  .  .  .  and  my  image  [I  set  up]  " ; 
and  in  another  inscription  "  Mitinti  of  Ashkelon,"  as 
well  as  "  Hanno  of  Gaza,"  is  mentioned  among  his 
tributaries  (Schrader,  i^^  T 25 5  ff.).  Thus  was  fulfilled, 
as  nearly,  perhaps,  as  he  himself  expected,  the  prophecy 
of  Amos  concerning  Philistia.  It  was,  however,  even 
more  cruelly  treated  by  Sargon  (720  and  711  b.c.)  and 
Sennachrib  (701  B.C.),  by  whom  it  was  so  completely 

1  mn''  ''31K  is  variously  rendered  in  the  Septuagint :  in  eight  cases, 
Kvpios  6  deSs  ;  in  three,  Kvpios  Kvpios ;  and  in  eight,  including  this,  simply 
Kvpios.  In  this  passage,  perhaps  the  Septuagint  has  preserved  the  better 
reading,  since  "HK  does  not  precede  miT  at  the  close  of  any  other  section 
in  these  first  two  chapters. 

2  In  this  passage,  Ashdod  as  well  as  Gath  is  said  to  have  been  captured 
and  rendered  defenseless  by  the  Judean  king ;  hence  these  two  cities  must 
have  been  taken  after  the  prophecy  of  Amos  was  written,  and  the  omission 
of  Gath  by  the  prophet  must  have  had  some  other  reason  than  either  of 
the  first  two  above  quoted. 


68  AMOS. 

subjugated  that  it  never  again  resisted  an  Assyrian  king 
(Schrader,  KA  T  396  f. ;  398  ff . ;  288  ff. ;  355  ff.). 

3.    Phcenicia,  vv.  9-10. 

9.  Tyre :  here  for  Phoenicia,  the  narrow  strip  of  terri- 
tory along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Mediterranean, 
extending  northward  from  Carmel,  or  some  point  sHghtly 
south  of  it,  as  far  as  Nahr  el-Kebir.  It  included,  besides 
Tyre,  several  other  cities,  the  most  important  of  which 
were  Akko  (Acts  xxi.  7  Ptolemais,  now  Akka),  Achzib 
(now  Zib),  Zarephath  (now  Serafend),  Sidon,  and  Gebal 
(now  Jabla).  Its  people  were  the  foremost  merchants 
and  navigators  of  antiquity.  It  was  not  for  their  inter- 
est to  make  war  upon  their  neighbors,  therefore,  though 
they  clung  to  their  possessions  along  the  coast  (Josh, 
xiii.  6),  they  generally  maintained  peaceful  relations 
with  the  Hebrews.  The  king  of  Tyre  entered  into  a 
treaty  with  David  (2  Sam.  v.  11),  which  was  renewed 
when  Solomon  came  to  the  throne  (i  Kings  v.  i  ff.). 
The  intimacy  between  the  two  peoples  continued  long 
after  the  Hebrews  had  been  divided  into  two  kingdoms. 
Ahab,  king  of  Israel,  married  Jezebel,  daughter  of  Eth- 
baal,  king  of  the  Sidonians  (i  Kings  xvi.  31),  i.e.  of  the 
Phoenicians  (Josephus,  Ajit.  viii.  13,  2),  and  their  daugh- 
ter Athaliah  became  the  wife,  and  finally  the  successor, 
of  Ahaziah,  king  of  Judah  (2  Kings  xi.  i).  Thus  the 
Hebrews  were  at  one  time  virtually  governed  by  Phoe- 
nician princesses.  The  reaction  which  resulted  in  the 
death  of  both  of  these  infamous  women  must  have  had 
some  effect  upon  the  relations  of  the  Hebrews  with  the 
Phoenicians.  At  any  rate  it  was  not  long  before  the 
prophets  began  to  threaten  Phoenicia  with  destruction, 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  69 

and  they  maintained  this  attitude  toward  it  to  the  end 
(Joel  iii.  4  ff.  ;  Isa.  xxiii.  ;  Jer.  xxv.  22  ;  Eze.  xxvi.).  — 
they  delivered  a  complete  captivity  :  the  Phoenicians 
are  not  charged  with  taking  captives,  as  are  the  Philis- 
tines (y.  6),  but  with  delivering  them,  i.e.  acting  as 
agents  for  those  who  actually  took  them.  Since  the 
captives  in  this  case  also  were  delivered  to  the  Edomites, 
it  is  natural  to  suppose  that  the  same  are  meant  as  in 
the  previous  instance,  viz.  those  taken  during  the  inva- 
sion of  Judah  by  the  Philistines,  in  the  reign  of  Joram. 
The  Phoenicians  probably  followed  the  earlier,  as  they 
did  the  later,  invaders  of  Judea,  "with  silver  and  gold 
very  much,"  "to  buy  the  children  of  Israel  for  slaves  " 
(i  Mace.  iii.  41).  —  a  brotherly  covenant:  not  a  cove- 
nant between  brethren,  i.e.  Edom  and  Israel  (Ewald) ; 
it  is  far  better  to  suppose  that  the  intimate  relations 
between  the  Hebrews  and  the  Phoenicians  are  intended. 
There  is  express  mention  of  a  league  between  Hiram 
and  Solomon  i  Kings  v.  12,  and  i  Kings  ix.  13  the  for- 
mer calls  the  latter  brother.  Perhaps  a  better  trans- 
lation of  the  above  phrase  would  be  a  covenant  to  be 
bi-ethren.     See  i  Kings  xx.  33. 

10.  Tyre  :  here  the  city,  the  capital  of  Phoenicia,  and 
the  commercial  metropolis  of  the  ancient  world.  The 
city  proper  was  situated  on  an  island  just  off  the  coast 
of  Phoenicia,  directly  west  of  Mount  Hermon.  Its  situ- 
ation accounts  both  for  the  degree  and  the  duration  of 
its  prosperity,  for  not  only  did  it  early  eclipse  Sidon  and 
become  "  the  merchant  of  the  peoples  to  many  coasts," 
but  for  centuries  it  successfully  resisted  all  attempts  to 
capture  it  and  succumbed  at  last,  332  b.c,  only  after  a 
long  siege,  to  Alexander.     It  was  not  completely  hum- 


70  AJl/OS. 

bled  until  1191  a.d.  when  it  was  destroyed  by  the  Mos- 
lems. On  the  ruins,  still  connected  with  the  mainland 
by  the  causeway  built  by  Alexander,  has  since  arisen  a 
new  town,  but  it  is  an  insignificant  place  of  only  about 
3500  inhabitants,  having  nothing  in  common  with  the 
ancient  city  but  its  romantic  site  and  the  once  magical 
name  Sur  (Thomson,  LB,  II.  607  ff.). 

The  prophecy  against  Phoenicia,  as  has  already  been 
hinted,  was  not  fulfilled  so  literally  as  that  against 
Syria,  or  even  Philistia.  The  Phoenicians,  with  charac- 
teristic discretion,  secured  the  favor  of  Tiglath-pileser 
III.  by  paying  him  tribute  from  his  first  appearance, 
743  B.C.,  in  the  west  (Schrader,  KAT  250,  252  f.). 
When,  therefore,  in  734,  he  made  his  expedition  into 
Philistia,  they  probably  suffered  only  to  the  extent  of 
the  presents  that  they  sent  him  (Schrader,  KAT 2^7  f.). 
Even  when,  later,  they  entered  into  a  league  with  their 
neighbors  to  throw  off  the  Assyrian  yoke,  though  the 
kingdom  of  Israel  was  destroyed  by  Sargon,  and  Isaiah 
expected  that  Phoenicia  also  would  be  completely  con- 
quered (Isa.  xxiii.).  Tyre,  at  least,  escaped,  after  a  siege 
of  five  years,  with  comparatively  slight  injury  (Josephus 
A7it.  ix.  14,  2).  The  prophecy  of  Amos,  however,  was 
fulfilled  in  that  Tyre,  with  the  rest  of  Phoenicia,  was 
actually  conquered  and  forced  to  pay  tribute  to  the 
Assyrian  kings  to  the  end  of  this  great  monarchy 
(Schrader,  KAT 2SSE.',  355  f.). 

4.     EdOM,  VV.   1 1 -1 2. 

II.  Edom  :  this  name  seems  sometimes  to  ha^e 
covered  the  whole  territory  on  both  sides  of  the  Arabah 
south   of   the   Dead   Sea  (Eze.  xxv.  8  ff.),  but   it  was 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  71 

strictly  applied  only  to  the  mountainous  region  east  of 
the  Arabah,  inhabited  by  the  sons  of  Esau.  Its  princi- 
pal cities  were  Elath  and  Ezion-geber,  on  the  Red  Sea, 
Sela  in  the  mountains,  and  Bosrah  toward  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  country.  Its  people  were  largely  free- 
booters (Gen.  xxvii.  39  f.).  As  such  they  were  the  dread 
of  the  Hebrews  during  the  Exodus  (Num.  xx.  21),  and  a 
thorn  in  their  flesh  after  the  occupation  of  Palestine. 
Subdued  by  David  (2  Sam.  viii,  14;  2  Kings  xi.  15  ;  Ps. 
Ix.  8),  they  continued  subject  to  the  kings  of  Judah 
(i  Kings  X.  26)  until  the  reign  of  Joram,  when  they 
revolted  (2  Chron.  xxi.  10),  thenceforth  remaining  inde- 
pendent until  reconquered  by  Amasiah  (2  Kings  xiv.  7 ; 
2  Chron  xxv.  1 1)  and  Uzziah  (2  Kings  xiv.  22  ;  2  Chron. 
xxvi.  2). — he  pursued  his  brother  with  the  sword:  this 
expression  as  fitly  characterizes  the  entire  course  of  the 
Edomites  toward  the  Hebrews  as  any  particular  act 
in  it.  The  second  clause,  however,  indicates  that,  on 
the  occasion  in  question,  the  condition  of  the  objects  of 
their  hostility  was  such  as  naturally  to  excite  sympathy. 
Now,  this  must  have  been  the  state  of  things  in  the 
reign  of  Joram,  under  whom  Edom  revolted ;  when, 
according  to  2  Chron.  xxi.  16  f.,  the  Philistines  and  their 
allies  invaded  Judah.  Perhaps,  therefore,  that  event  is 
here  again  recalled.  Compare  Keil.  The  tie  between 
Edom  and  Israel,  unlike  that  mentioned  v.  9,  was  a 
natural  one.  The  Hebrews  recognized  it  (Deut.  xxiii. 
7).  They  had  before  appealed  to  it  in  vain  (Num.  xx. 
14).  See  Ob.  10.  —  stifling  his  pity,  ht.  and  corrupted 
his  pity}  i.e.  suppressed  the  natural  instinct  to  sympa- 

1  The  construction  is  here  changed,  the  Perfect  being  substituted  for 
the  Infinitive  Construct.     For  the  tense,  see  Ges.-^  112,  3.  a.  5;   114,  3  R. 


72  AMOS. 

thize  with  distress.  Compare  Eze.  xxviii.  17.  —  his 
wrath  ever  rent :  did  not  exhaust  itself  with  one  act  of 
cruelty.  See  Job  xvi.  g}  —  his  fury  he  nursed,  lit.  his 
fury  he  kept  it.  This  clause  is  an  intensification  of  the 
second,  just  as  the  preceding  is  of  the  first,  specification. 
The  Edomites  were  not  only  pitiless,  but  they  cherished 
vengeful  emotions.^ 

12.  Teman :  originally  the  name  of  a  descendant  of 
Esau  (Gen.  xxxvi.  11),  was  afterward  applied  to  a  dis- 
trict, perhaps  to  a  city  (Job  ii.  11)  of  Edom.  Where 
the  city  or  district  was  situated  it  is  now  impossible  to 
determine.  Jerome  says  {i.l.)  that  it  lay  in  the  south, 
but  Eze.  XXV.  13  indicates  that  it  is  rather  to  be  sought 
in  the  north  of  Edom.  Kautsch  (Riehm,  HBA)  suggests 
that  it  may  be  identified  with  the  Gebal  of  Ps.  Ixxxiii.  8, 
and  with  this  suggestion  agrees  the  description  in  the 
Ono77tastikon :  **  regio  principum  Edom  in  terra  Gebali- 
tica."  Here,  as  in  Jer.  xlix.  20,  the  name  Teman  is 
applied  to  the  whole  of  Edom.  See  ii.  2,  5.  — Bosrah  : 
not  the  Bosrah  of  Jer.  xlviii.  24,  which  was  in  Moab, 
but  a  city,  at  one  time  probably  the  capital  of  Edom, 
which  has  been  identified  with  el-Busaireh,  a  small 
village  surrounded  by  extensive  ruins,  in  the  district  of 

1  For  5^"1D''1  Olshausen  (Ps.  ciii.  9)  proposes  to  read  'IIS^I,  and  Well- 
hausen  {^SV,  V.)  adopts  this  emendation. 

*iy  can  doubtless  here,  as  in  Isa.  ix.  5,  mean  booty;  but  HITO  in  the  fol- 
lowing clause  would  seem  to  indicate  that  this  is  not  the  meaning  intended. 
Compare  Siegfried  and  Stade,  Lexicon,  art.  S]"ltO.  The  translators  of  the 
Septuagint  evidently  pointed  the  word  "TU  ;  hence  et's  ixapTvpLov. 

2  m^ti^  is  not  the  3  sing,  fern,  for  IT^^^  (Ewald),  but  the  3  sing.  mas. 
with  a  fem.  suffix  for  rTH^^ti?.  The  tone  was  shifted  to  the  penult  to  prevent 
two  accented  syllables  from  coming  together,  and  then  the  mappik  fell  out 
of  the  last  letter.  Ges.  58,  3,  R  I.  Wellhausen  {SV,  V.)  avoids  any 
difficulty  by  dropping  the  H, 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  73 

Jebal  (Gebal),  about  2|  hours  south  of  Tufileh  (Robin- 
son, Res.  11.  167).  The  Edomites,  who  had  already- 
paid  tribute  to  Ramman-nirari  III.  (Schrader,  KAT 
190),  terrified  by  the  vigor  with  which  Tiglath-pileser 
III.  dealt  with  Syria,  Israel,  and  PhiHstia,  returned  to 
their  allegiance  to  the  Great  King  {KAT  257  f.);  and 
thenceforward,  so  long  as  the  Assyrian  empire  lasted, 
though  they  sometimes  rebelled,  they  never  succeeded 
in  ridding  themselves  of  its  yoke.  Sennacherib  {KA  T 
288  ff.),  Esarhaddon  {KAT  ^S^t),  and  Assurbanipal 
{KAT  355  f.)  all  reckon  them  among  the  vassals  of 
Assyria. 

5.    Ammon,  vv.  13-15. 

13.  the  children  of  Ammon:  the  descendants  of 
Ammon,  son  of  Lot,  by  the  younger  of  the  daughters 
who  fled  with  him  from  Sodom  (Gen.  xix.  38).  At  first, 
with  the  Moabites,  they  occupied  the  territory  along  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea,  from  the 
Jabbok  to  the  Arnon  (Jud.  xi.  13;  Josh.  xiii.  25);  but 
they  were  driven  by  the  Amorites  eastward  across  the 
upper  Jabbok,  where  the  Israelites,  after  the  Exodus, 
found  them  (Num.  xxi.  24;  comp.  Deut.  ii.  19).  They 
did  not  accept  this  situation  as  final ;  hence,  when  the 
Hebrews  had  expelled  the  Amorites,  they  renewed 
their  attempts  to  regain  their  former  possessions  (Jud. 
x.  8).  They  were  defeated  by  Jephthah  (Jud.  xi.  32), 
but  had  to  be  again  expelled  from  Gilead  by  Saul 
(i  Sam.  xi.  11),  and  finally,  though  assisted  by  the 
Syrians  (2  Sam.  x.  8),  completely  conquered  by  David 
(2  Sam.  xii.  31).  When  his  kingdom  was  divided  they 
naturally  became  tributary  to  Israel,  but  they  probably 
did  not  long  remain  in  this  condition  (2  Chron.  xx.  i). 


74  AMOS. 

At  any  rate,  they  had  become  independent  when  Amos 
prophesied,  else  they  would  hardly  have  found  a  place 
in  his  indictment,  and  Uzziah  would  not  have  had  occa- 
sion to  make  war  with  them  (2  Chron.  xxvi.  8).  —  they 
disemboweled  the  pregnant  women  of  Gilead  :  the  crime 
of  which  the  Ammonites  are  accused  was  not  infrequent 
in  their  day  (2  Kings  xv.  16;  see  Hos.  x.  14;  Isa.  xiii. 
16 ;  Nah.  iii.  10).  That  they  were  not  incapable  of 
such  an  outrage  appears  from  the  inhuman  proposition 
that  they  made  to  the  people  of  Jabesh-Gilead  (i  Sam. 
xi.  i).  Perhaps  it  was  their  notorious  inhumanity  that 
led  David  to  treat  them  with  such  cruelty  as  he  per- 
mitted after  the  capture  of  Rabbah  (2  Sam.  xii.  31). 
When  the  outrage  described  was  committed  it  is  per- 
haps impossible  to  determine  with  certainty,  but  there 
are  strong  indications  that  it  was  connected  with  the 
invasion  of  Gilead  by  Hazael  (2  Kings  x.  32).  The 
Ammonites  would  naturally  make  common  cause  with 
the  Syrians,  as  they  did  in  the  time  of  David  (2  Sam.  x. 
8),  and  Hazael,  who  was,  in  fact,  accused  by  Elisha  of 
being  capable  of  this  very  crime  (2  Kings  viii.  12),  would 
be  just  the  leader  to  permit  it  in  his  followers.^ — for 
the  sake  of  enlarging  their  border  :  the  purpose  denoted 
is  a  constant  and  controlling  one,  of  which  the  act  above 
described  was  but  a  single  manifestation.     It  is  implied 

1  There  is  another  interpretation  of  the  passage.  Kimchi,  e.g.,  trans- 
lates it,  because  they  brake  through  the  mountains  of  Gilead,  accounting  for 
the  indignation  of  the  prophet  at  this  offense  by  saying  that  the  Ammonites 
thus  violated  the  law  forbidding  the  removal  of  boundaries,  and  incurred 
the  curse  pronounced  upon  such  sinners  (Deut.  xxvii.  17).  This,  however, 
is  but  a  subtle  attempt  of  the  Jewish  exegetes  to  avoid  the  mention  of  a 
horrible  crime.  The  form  min  cannot  be  derived  from  ^H  mountain; 
and,  if  it  could,  the  other  interpretation  would  still  be  required  by  the 
known  character  of  the  Ammonites. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  75 

that  the  desire  to  extend  their  territory,  which  at  first 
may  have  had  a  warrant  so  far  as  Gilead  was  concerned, 
had  become  so  strong  that  they  would  not  have  hesi- 
tated at  any  atrocity  by  which  this  passion  was  to  be 
satisfied.     Compare  ii.  j} 

14.  I  will  kindle  fire  is  a  mere  variation  in  expression. 
—  Rabbah,  or  Rabbath  (Eze.  xxv.  5),  or,  more  fully, 
Rabbah  of  the  children  of  Ammon  (Deut.  iii.  11),  the 
only  city  of  the  Ammonites  whose  name  is  given  in  the 
Hebrew  scriptures  (comp.  2  Sam.  xii.  31),  was  situated 
at  the  head  of  the  Jabbok.  That  it  had  been  a  power- 
ful stronghold  appears  from  the  time  spent  by  David's 
troops  before  it  (2  Sam.  xi.  i).  In  the  days  of  the 
prophets  it  had  regained  some  of  its  former  importance 
(Jer.  xlix.  3  ;  Eze.  xxv.  5).  Later  still,  under  the  pat- 
ronage of  Ptolemy  Philadelphus  (285-247  B.C.),  after 
whom  it  was  called  Philadelphia,  it  became  one  of  the 
most  important  cities  east  of  the  Jordan.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Christian  era  it  was  a  member  of  the  group 
of  cities  known  as  Decapolis  (Matt.  iv.  25).  The  ruins 
of  the  temples,  theatres,  etc.,  with  which  the  city  was 
once  adorned,  now  bear  the  name  Amman  (Thomson, 
LB,  III.  607  ff. ;  Merrill,  East  of  the  Jordan,  399  ff. ;  Oli- 
phant,  Laiid  of  Gilead,  251  ff.).  —  with  clamor  :  not  the 
cries  of  the  terrified  Ammonites  (Marck),  but  the  shouts 
and  signals  of  their  oncoming  enemies  (Josh.  vi.  5  ; 
Num.  x.  6).  These  words  clearly  show  that  in  these 
first  two  chapters  Amos  usQsfire  figuratively  for  zuar.  — 
with  commotion  in  a  day  of  tempest :  here  the  prophet 
again  falls  into  figurative  language,  which,  however,  is 

1  On  the  particle  117^*?  and  its  significance  see  my  dissertation :  Some 
Final  Cotistructions  in  Biblical  Hebrew. 


76  AMOS. 

easily  understood.  The  tempest  is  not  a  commotion  of 
the  elements  manifesting  the  wrath  of  Jehovah  (Marck), 
but  the  tumultuous  attack  in  which  the  capital  of 
Ammon  is  to  be  stormed  and  captured. 

15.  their  king:  the  king  of  the  Ammonites.^  See 
their  border,  v.  13.  —  he  and  his  princes:  Jer.  xlix.  3 
reads  his  priests  and  his  princes? 

The  Ammonites  were  involved  in  the  same  fate  that 
befell  the  rest  of  the  peoples  of  Western  Asia ;  but  it  is 
impossible  to  give  the  details  of  their  subjugation.  We 
only  know  that,  after  the  invasion  of  Tiglath-pileser 
they  always  appear  as  tributaries  to  the  Assyrian  mon- 
archy (Schrader,  KAT  2^7  U  288  ff.,  355  ff.). 

6.    MoAB,  ii.  1-3. 

I.  Moab :  the  people  descended  from  the  son  of 
Lot  by  the  older  of  the  two  daughters  who  fled  with 
him  to  Zoar  (Gen.  xix.  37).  The  Hebrews,  when  they 
entered  Palestine,  found  them  in  the  mountainous 
region  east  of  the  Dead  Sea,  between  the  Arnon  (Num. 
xxi.  13)  and  the  so-called  brook  of  the  willows  (Isa.  xv. 
7),  Wadi  el-Ahsi,  whither  they  had  been  driven  by  the 
Amorites  (Jud.  xi.  25).  Balak  did  not  attempt  to  molest 
his  new  neighbors  except  by  his  incantations  (Num. 

1  This  is  without  doubt  the  correct  reading.  It  is  required  by  the 
phrase  his  princes  as  well  as  by  the  analogy  of  ii.  3,  and  it  is  supported  by 
the  Targum  and  the  Septuagint.  The  other  Greek  versions,  however,  ren- 
der DSbia  as  if  it  were  the  name  of  the  god  Molech,  and  so  do  the 
Peshita  and  the  Vulgate.  In  fact,  Jeremiah,  according  to  the  correct  read- 
ing, in  his  prophecy  concerning  Ammon  (xlix.  3),  lends  his  authority  to 
this  interpretation.  Perhaps  Amos,  when  he  wrote  the  word  037^,  meant 
that  it  should  suggest  D37p  to  his  readers. 

2  The  Septuagint  adopts  the  rendering  of  Jeremiah. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  77 

xxii.  6),  but  a  later  king,  Eglon,  got  possession  of  the 
country  north  of  the  Arnon,  and,  crossing  the  Jordan, 
occupied  Jericho,  whence  he  held  the  Hebrews  in  subjec- 
tion eighteen  years  (Jud.  iii.  13).  After  his  assassination 
and  the  retreat  of  the  Moabites  across  the  Jordan,  the 
two  nations  seem  to  have  lived  at  peace  with  each  other 
until  the  time  of  Saul.  During  this  period  Naomi  found 
a  home  among  the  Moabites  (Ruth  i.  4).  Even  after 
the  election  of  Saul,  although,  or  perhaps  because,  they 
had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  this  king  (i  Sam.  xiv.  47), 
their  country  furnished  a  refuge  for  the  family  of  David 
(i  Sam.  xxii.  3 ;  see  xxvii.  3).  When  David  himself 
became  king,  he  very  ungratefully,  as  it  would  seem 
without  further  knowledge  of  the  circumstances,  made 
them  his  servants  (2  Sam.  viii.  2),  and  they  probably 
remained  until  after  the  division  of  the  kingdom  tribu- 
tary to  his  successors  (i  Kings  xi.  i).  They  then,  per- 
haps, for  a  time  became  independent.  At  any  rate, 
Omri  of  Israel,  who  claimed  their  territory,  was  obliged 
to  make  good  his  claim  with  the  sword,  which,  however, 
he  so  thoroughly  accomplished  that  Moab  remained 
attached  to  his  kingdom  until  the  death  of  Ahab 
(2  Kings  iii.  4).  Then  the  Moabites,  under  Mesha, 
revolted  (2  Kings  iii.  5),  and  all  the  attempts  of  the 
kings  of  Israel,  even  with  the  assistance  of  Jehosha- 
phat,  reinforced  by  the  Edomites,  proved  unsuccessful 
(2  Kings  iii.  6  ff.).  It  is  probable  that  even  Jeroboam 
II.  was  content  to  drive  them  within  their  own  borders 
(vi.  14),  and  prevent  the  inroads  to  which  his  predeces- 
sors, while  at  war  with  Syria,  had  to  submit  (2  Kings 
xiii.  20).  —  he  burned  the  bones  of  the  king  of  Edom  to 
lime  :    by  the  bones  is  meant  the  body  (vi.  10),  and  to 


78  AMOS. 

lime  is  equivalent  to  the  English  expression  to  ashes. 
Tradition  says  that  the  deed  here  described  was  com- 
mitted by  Mesha,  the  contemporary  of  Jehoshaphat, 
and  certainly  all  that  can  be  learned  of  him  goes  to 
confirm  this  opinion.  The  Moabite  stone,  on  which  he 
recounts  his  achievements,  agrees  with  the  Hebrew 
scriptures  (2  Kings  iii.  26  f.)  in  representing  him  as 
reckless  and  vengeful  to  the  last  degree.  The  latter  fur- 
ther represents  the  king  of  Edom  as  among  his  bitter- 
est enemies.  It  is,  therefore,  more  than  possible  that, 
after  the  war  in  which  the  Edomites,  under  Jehosh- 
aphat, took  the  part  of  Israel  (perhaps  not  until  Jehosh- 
aphat was  dead  and  they,  having  revolted,  could  no 
longer  resist  him),  Mesha  invaded  their  country,  and, 
rifling  the  tomb  of  his  old  adversary,  who  had  also 
meanwhile  died,  burned  his  body  and  scattered  the 
ashes  to  the  winds.  To  be  deprived  of  burial  is,  by  the 
prophets,  regarded  as  one  of  the  sorest  penalties  with 
which  men  can  be  threatened  (Jer.  xxxvi.  30).  It  is  not 
strange,  therefore,  that  the  violation  of  the  graves  of 
the  dead  should  be  reckoned  among  crimes  the  most 
heinous,  and  that  without  regard  to  the  question  against 
whom  the  offence  is  committed ;  for  there  is  no  reason 
for  supposing  that  Amos  condemned  Moab  for  the 
deed  done  merely  because  the  king  of  Edom  in  the 
case  was  an  ally  of  Jehoshaphat,  and  thus  a  crime 
against  him  was  a  crime  against  the  chosen  people 
(Keil).  Our  prophet  does  not  descend  to  such  sub- 
tleties.^ 

1  The  following  is  the  inscription  on  the  Moabite  stone  as  translated 
by  Driver  in  the  introduction  to  his  Notes  on  the  Hebrew  Text  of  the 
Books  of  Samuel^  Ixxxvii.  ff. :  — 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  79 

2.  Moab  :  here  the  country,  hence  v.  3,  her  midst,  and 
princes,  as  well  as  with  him,  i.e.  the  people  Moab. 
—  Keriyyoth  :  not  the  cities  (Septuagint),  but  a  city  of 
Moab  (Jer.  xlviii.  24),  and  evidently  an  important  one, 
else  it  would  not,  here  and  Jer.  xlviii.  41,  be  put  for 
Moab,   as  in  the  preceding  chapter    Damascus  is  for 

1     I  am  Mesha,  son  of  Chemosh-melek,  king  of  Moab,  the  Da- 

-ibonite.     My  father  reigned  over  Moab  for  30  years,  and  I  reign- 
-ed  after  my  father.     And  I  made  this  high  place  for  Chemosh  in 

QRHH,  a  high  place  of  sal- 
-vation,  because  he  had  saved  me  from  all  the  kings  (?),  and  because 

he  had  let  me  see  my  pleasure  on  all  them  that  hated  me.     Omr- 
5     -i  was  king  over  Israel,  and  he  afflicted  Moab  for  many  days,  because 

Chemosh  was  angry  with  his  la- 
-nd.     And  his  son  succeeded  him  ;   and  he  also  said,   I  will  afflict 

Moab.     In  my  days  said  he  th [us;] 
but  I  saw  my  pleasure  on  him,  and  on  his  house,  and  Israel  perished 

with   an    everlasting  destruction.      And  Omri  took  possession  of 

the  [la-] 
-nd  of  Mehedeba,  and  it  {i.e.  Israel)  dwelt  therein,  during  his  days, 

and  half  his  son's  days,  forty  years ;  but  [resto-] 
-red  it  Chemosh  in  my  days.     And  I  built  Ba'al-Me'on,  and  I  made 

in  it  the  reservoir  (?) ;   and  I  built 
10     Qiryathen.     And  the  men  of  Gad  had  dwelt  in  the  land  of  'Ataroth 

from  of  old ;   and  built  for  himself  the  king  of  I- 
srael  "Ataroth.     And  I  fought  against  the  city,  and  took  it.     And  I 

slew  all  the  [people  of] 
the  city,  a  gazing-stock  unto  Chemosh,  and  unto  Moab.   And  I  brought 

back  {or,  took  captive)  thence  the  altar-hearth  of  Davdoh  (?),  and 

I  drag- 
-ged  it  before  Chemosh  in  Qeriyyoth.     And  I  settled  therein  the  men 

of  SHRN,  and  the  men  of 
MHRTH.      And   Chemosh  said   unto  me,   Go,  take  Nebo  against 

Israel.     And  I 
15    went  by  night,  and  fought  against  it  from  the  break  of  dawn  until 

noon.     And  I  too- 
-k  it,  and  slew  the  whole  of  it,   7,000  men,  and  .  .  ,,  and  women,. 

and  .  .  . 


80  AMOS, 

Syria,  etc.  This  fact,  and  the  further  circumstance  that 
it  and  Ar  are  never  mentioned  in  the  same  connection, 
has  led  to  the  conjecture  that  Ar  and  Keriyyoth  are  but 
different  names  for  the  capital  of  Moab,  now  Mahatet 
el-Haj.  The  Moabite  stone  (1.  13)  confirms  this  conclu- 
sion.    See  Riehm,  HBA  ;  compare  Smith,  BD.  —  amid 

-s,   and   maid-servants ;    for  I  had  devoted   it  to  'Ashtor-Chemosh. 

And  I  took  thence  the  [ves-] 
-sels  of  YAHWEH,  and  I  dragged  them  before  Chemosh.     And  the 

king  of  Israel  had  built 
Yahaz,  and  abode  in  it,  while  he  fought  against  me.     But  Chemosh 

drove  him  out  before  me ;  and 
20     I  took  of  Moab  200  men,  even  all  its  chiefs;  and  I  led  them  up 

against  Yahaz,  and  took  it 
to  add  it  unto  Daibon.     I  built  QRHH,  the  wall  of  Ye'arim  {or^  of 

the  woods),  and  the  wall  of 
the  Mound.     And  I  built  its  gates,  and  I  built  its  towers.     And 
I  built  the  king's   palace,  and  I  made  the  two  reser[voirs  (?)   for 

wa]ter  in  the  midst  of 
the  city.   And  there  was  no  cistern  in  the  midst  of  the  city,  in  QRHH, 

and  I  said  to  all  the  people,  Make 
25     you  every  man  a  cistern  in  his  house.     And  I  cut  out  the  cutting  for 

QRHH  with  the  help  of  prisoner- 
[-S  of]  Israel.     I  built  'Aro'er,  and  I  made  the  highway  by  the  Arnon. 
I  built  Beth-Bamoth,  for  it  was  pulled  down.     I  built  Bezer,  for  ruins 
[had  it  become,  and  the  chie]fs  of  Daibon  were  fifty,  for  all  Daibon 

was  obedient  (to  me).     And  I  reign- 
-ed  [over]  an  hundred  [chiefs]  in  the  cities  which  I  added  to  the 

land.     And  I  buil- 
30     -t  Mehede[b]a,  and  Beth-Diblathen,  and  Beth-Ba'al-Me'on ;   and  I 

took  there  the  sheep  grazers  (?), 
.  .  .  sheep  of  the  land,  and  as  for  Horonen,  there  dwelt  therein  .  . . 

and  .  .  . 
.  .  .  Chemosh  said  unto  me.  Go  down,  fight  against  Horonen.     And  I 

went  down  .  .  . 
.  .  .  [and]  Chemosh  [resto]red  it  in  my  days.    And  I  went  up  thence 

to... 
...  And  I 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  81 

tumult :  Jeremiah,  evidently  with  this  passage  in  mind, 
calls  the  Moabites  sons  of  tinmilt  (xlviii.  45).  See  also 
Num.  xxiv.  17  (R.V.)  and  A.  B.  Davidson,  Expositor, 
March,  1887.  Here,  however,  the  tumult  is  not  that 
raised  by  the  Moabites,  but  that,  like  the  roar  of  the 
sea  for  loudness  and  awfulness  (Ps.  Ixv.  8),  of  attacking 
enemies  (i.  14),  more  clearly  defined  in  the  succeeding 
words,  —  zvitJi  clamor,  with  the  soimd  of  the  trumpet} 

3.  the  judge  :  not  a  governor  or  viceroy  appointed  by 
the  king  of  Israel  (Hitzig),  since,  when  Amos  wrote, 
Moab  was  not  subject  to  Jeroboam,  but  the  king,  the 
chief  among  the  princes  of  the  land,  like  the  Cartha- 
ginian suffete  (compare  i.  15).  The  office  of  judge  was 
the  most  important  which  an  oriental  monarch  had  to 
exercise.  —  all  her  princes  :  see  note  on  Moab,  v.  2.  — 
with  him  :    the  judge  or  king. 

The  details  of  the  relations  of  the  Moabites  to  the 
avenging  power,  whose  advent  was  foreseen  by  Amos, 
are  not  known.  It  is,  however,  known  that  Salman 
the  Moabite,  willingly  or  unwillingly,  paid  tribute  to 
Tiglath-pileser  (Schrader,  KAT  2^2  i.),  Kamoshnadab 
to  Sennacherib  (id.  288  ff.),  and  Mussuri,  who,  by  the 
way,  is  expressly  called  a  king  in  the  inscriptions,  to 
Esarhaddon  and  Assurbanipal  (id.  355  f.). 

7.     JUDAH,   VV.  4-5. 

4.  Judah  :  including  Benjamin,  the  southern  kingdom 
in  distinction  from  the  other  ten  tribes,  or  Israel  in  the 
narrower  sense  (i  Kings  xii.  20  f.).  The  history  of 
these  two  tribes  presents  an  almost  constant  struggle 

1  Hoffmann  finds  in  pHU?  an  ancient  name  for  perhaps  the  acropolis  of 
Ar,  here  used  as  a  synonym  for  Moab,  like  Zion  for  Jerusalem  (i.  2). 


82  AMOS. 

between  the  true  and  false  religions.  Under  their  very- 
first  king  they  are  said  to  have  done  "  evil  in  the  sight 
of  Jehovah,"  and  "■  provoked  him  to  jealousy  with  their 
sins  which  they  committed,  above  all  that  their  fathers 
had  done"  (i  Kings  xiv.  21  ;  2  Chron.  xii.  i).  Abijah 
(i  Kings  XV.  3  ;  comp.  2  Chron.  xiii.  10),  Joram  (2  Kings 
viii.  18 ;  2  Chron.  xxi.  6),  and  Ahaziah  (2  Kings  ix.  27 ; 
2  Chron.  xxii.  13)  favored  this  tendency,  while  AthaHah 
(2  Kings  xi.  3  ;  2  Chron.  xxii.  12)  openly  deserted  the 
worship  of  Jehovah.  Even  the  good  kings,  Asa  (i  Kings 
XV.  II  ;  2  Chron.  xiv.  2),  Jehoshaphat  (i  Kings  xxii.  43 ; 
2  Chron.  xvii.  3),  Joash  (2  Kings  xii.  2  f . ;  2  Chron.  xxiv.  2, 
18),  and  Amasiah(2  Kings  xiv.  3  ;  2  Chron.  xxv.  2),  when 
they  were  best,  fell  far  below  their  father  David,  and 
the  historian  has  to  qualify  his  commendation  in  each 
case  with  a  confession  that  the  high-places  of  the  coun- 
try were  not  removed.  Indeed,  one  gets  the  impression 
that  there  had  been  a  growing  estrangement  between 
Jehovah  and  his  people,  and  that,  therefore,  when  Amos 
appeared  to  warn  Israel,  Judah  had  reached  an  advanced 
stage  of  apostasy.  —  the  law  of  Jehovah  :  the  word  law 
in  the  Old  Testament  is  used  in  the  broad  sense  of 
instnictioUy  and  in  this  sense  it  is  applied  to  the  advice 
of  elders  (Prov.  i.  8),  to  the  oracles  of  priests  (Jer.  xviii. 
18),  and  to  the  deliverances  of  prophets  (Isa.  i.  10). 
Such  instruction  is  the  law  of  Jehovah  in  so  far  as  the 
one  giving  it  is  moved  by  the  spirit  of  Jehovah.  There 
is,  however,  no  doubt  that  in  many  cases,  particularly 
in  the  later  books,  the  word  implies  a  collection  of 
precepts  recognized  as  authoritative  by  the  Hebrews 
(2  Kings  xxii.  8).  The  latter  is  the  most  natural  inter- 
pretation of  its  use  in  this  passage,  especially  in  view  of 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  83 

its  connection  with  the  parallel  statutes,  which  is  a  fre- 
quent designation  for  the  law  of  Moses  (Jer.  xliv.  lo ; 
Eze.  XX.  1 1  ;  Mai.  iii.  22).  Compare  Gunning.  The 
Jews,  then,  be  it  observed,  are  not,  like  the  heathen 
nations,  and  finally  Israel,  accused  of  violating,  in  some 
particular,  the  unwritten  law  of  God,  but  of  ignoring  a 
distinct  and  comprehensive  revelation  of  the  will  of 
Jehovah.  On  the  genuineness  of  this  passage  see 
Introductory  Studies  III.  —  the  lies,  lit.  their  lies ;  their 
worthless  idols  or  images.^  For  these  the  fathers 
deserted  Jehovah  while  he  was  in  the  very  act  of  reveal- 
ing himself  to  them  (Ex.  xxxii.  i  ;  Deut.  ix.  12),  and  for 
these  the  sons,  after  generations  of  Jehovah's  guidance, 
rejected  him  like  their  fathers. 

5.  Jerusalem :  the  capital  of  Judah,  and  the  pecul- 
iar abode  of  Jehovah  (i.  2),  situated  on  the  border 
between  Judah  and  Ephraim,  about  thirty-six  miles 
from  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  two-thirds  as  far  from 
the  river  Jordan.  It,  like  Damascus,  was  a  very  ancient 
city,  for  it  also,  according  to  tradition,  was  "before 
Abraham"  (Gen.  xiv.  6  ;  Ps.  Ixxvi.  2).  It  was  temporarily 
occupied  by  the  Hebrews  when  they  entered  Palestine 
(Jud.  i.  8),  but  it  remained  for  David  to  gain  complete 
and  lasting  possession  of  it  (2  Sam.  v.  11  ff.).  He 
strengthened  its  already  strong  fortifications  and  wisely 
made  it  his  capital  (2  Sam.  v.  9).  Solomon  completed 
the  defenses  begun  by  his  father  (i  Kings  iii.  i ;  xi.  27) 
and  adorned  the  city  with  magnificent  buildings,  the 
most  famous  of  which  was  the  temple,  a  masterpiece  of 

1  With  this  use  of  3D  compare  that  of  pK,  Isa.  Ixvi.  3 ;  T^K,  Lev.  xix,  4; 
72.1,  Jer.  \'iii,  19,  Ps.  xxxi.  7;  D*n7K"X7,  Jer.  v.  7.  The  Septuagint  adds 
6.  iwolrjaav. 


84  AMOS. 

Tyrian  workmanship  (i  Kings  vi.  37  f. ;  vii.  i  f.).  Since 
Solomon's  death  Jerusalem  had  lost  much  of  its  earlier 
magnificence.  Three  times  it  had  been  captured  and 
plundered,  first  by  the  Egyptians  under  Shishak,  in  the 
reign  of  Rehoboam  (i   Kings  xiv.  25  f. ;   2  Chron.  xii. 

1  f.),  a  second  time  by  the  Arabians  and  Philistines,  in 
the  reign  of  Joram  (2  Chron.  xxi.  16  f.),  and  a  third  time 
by  Israel  under  Jehoash,  in  the  reign  of  Amasiah 
(2  Kings  xiv.  13  f.;  2  Chron.  xxv.  23  f.).  It  must, 
however,  still  have  been  a  beautiful  city  when  Amos 
prophesied  its  overthrow,  and  the  destruction  of  its 
palaces. 

The  kingdom  of  Judah  was  not  invaded  by  the  victo- 
rious armies  of  Tiglath-pileser  III.,  but  it  did  not  escape 
its  share  of  the  misfortunes  predicted  by  Amos.  Ahaz 
was  obliged  to  rob  the  temple  of  Jehovah  to  purchase 
the  doubtful  aid  of  the  Assyrian  king  (2  Kings  xvi.  8 ; 

2  Chron.  xxviii.  20  f.),  and  thenceforward  pay  him  a 
heavy  tribute  (Schrader,  KAT  257 f.;  263  f.).  Heze- 
kiah,  his  successor,  also  remained  some  time  subject 
to  Assyria  (Schrader,  KAT  188).  When  he  finally 
rebelled  he  barely  escaped  subjugation  by  Sennacherib 
(2  Kings  xix.  35  ;  2  Chron.  xxxii.  21).  He  did  not  avoid 
a  heavy  fine  (2  Kings  xviii.  14  ;  Schrader,  KAT  2^^  ff.). 
Manasseh  was  a  vassal  of  Esarhaddon,  and  for  some 
time  also  of  Assurbanipal.  It  was,  perhaps,  the  latter 
against  whom  he  rebelled  when  he  was  carried  a  pris- 
oner in  chains  to  Babylon  (2  Chron.  xxxiii.  11).  The 
Assyrian  empire  fell,  but  forty  years  later,  at  the  hands 
of  the  Babylonians,  Judah  suffered  the  fate  of  the 
northern  kingdom  (2  Kings  xxv.  i  ff. ;  2  Chron.  xxxvi. 

17  ff.). 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS,  85 

8.    Israel,  vv.  6-i6. 

Having,  by  his  condemnation,  one  after  another,  of 
the  neighboring  peoples,  awakened  in  his  hearers  (or 
readers)  a  perhaps  not  altogether  commendable  interest 
in  his  message,  Amos  now  turns  upon  Israel  and 
arraigns  them  in  even  severer  terms  than  he  has  hitherto 
used.  First  he  rehearses  some  of  their  wicked  practices, 
then  recalls,  by  way  of  contrast,  some  of  the  gracious 
dealings  of  Jehovah,  and  finally  pictures  the  dreadful 
result  of  sinning  against  such  mercy. 

a.  Isi'aeVs  Wickedness,  vv.  6-8.  —  6.     three,  yea  four, 
times  :    the  meaning  of  this  expression  is  the  same  here 
as  in  the  preceding  paragraphs,  —  repeatedly. '  The  sins, 
therefore,  which  find  mention  in  the  following  verses, 
do  not  make  a  complete  catalogue.     They  are  samples 
of  the  wickedness  of  Israel.     More  are  cited  than  in 
previous   cases,  not   merely  because  Amos  wished   to 
represent  Israel  as  worse  than  their  neighbors,  although 
that  impression  is  the  natural  result,  but  because,  in  this 
case,  a  moral  effect  is  to  be  produced.     As  a  matter  of 
fact,  four  distinct  offenses  are  detailed,  —  unprincipled 
avarice,  unfeeling   oppression,   unblushing   immorality, 
and    unbridled    voluptuousness.  —  they    sell :  ^     most   , 
interpreters  give  the  word  sell  in  this  passage  a  double  V 
sense,  making  a  figurative  application  of  it  to  the  right-    \ 
eoiLS  or  guiltless,  and  a  literal  to  the  needy.     They  then      \ 
further  explain  that  the  righteous  was  pronounced  guilty 
and  thus  sold  to  his  accuser  by  a  corrupt  judge  for 
money  received  as  a  bribe,  while  the  needy,  because  he 
could  not  pay  a  debt  amounting  to  only  so  much  as 

1  D12p  is  for  2*^2^,  as  in  Neh.  xiii.  15.  Compare  n"l2tt,  Ex.  xxi.  8. 
Ges.25  61,  I,  R  I.         ' 


86  AMOS. 

would  buy  a  pair  of  shoes,  was  actually  adjudged  the 
slave  (Ex.  xxi.  2  ff . ;  Lev.  xxv.  39  ff.;  Deut.  xv.  I2ff. ; 
2  Kings  iv.  i)  of  his  accuser  (Baur,  Keil).  Some  have 
insisted  upon  the  literal  signification  of  sell,  but  they 
have  been  forced  to  give  to  the  word  righteous  the 
meaning  upright  (Gen.  xviii.  23),  rather  than  innocent , 
since,  if  the  accused  were  not  a  debtor,  and  therefore 
guilty  before  the  law,  there  would  be  no  excuse  for 
enslaving  him.  He  must,  therefore,  have  been  "a  harm- 
less debtor,"  whom,  because  he  could  not  pay  the  money 
that  he  owed,  even  when  it  was  not  more  than  would 
buy  a  pair  of  shoes,  the  judge,  who  was  therefore  not 
necessarily  corrupt,  but  was,  perhaps,  inhuman,  sold  as 
a  slave  to  his  creditor  (Hitzig,  Orelli).  Both  of  these 
interpretations  are  unsatisfactory.  Let  us  try  the  effect 
of  giving  to  the  word  sell  only  the  derived  meaning 
above  mentioned  (Gunning).  The  sellers  were,  as  all 
agree,  the  noble  and  powerful  in  Israel,  acting  as  judges 
(vi.  i),  and  those  to  whom  they  sold  were  plaintiffs  in 
the  proceedings  over  which  these  judges  presided. 
What,  then,  is  the  meaning  of  for  money?  The  persons 
who  sold  could  not  be  said  to  have  sold  in  any  sense, 
unless  there  were  a  consideration.  Hence  it  is  natural 
and  necessary  to  suppose  that  Amos  meant  to  accuse 
these  judges  of  betraying  some  one  for  money  which 
they  received  in  the  shape  of  a  bribe  (v.  12).  But,  as 
above  suggested,  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  offer  them 
a  bribe  if  the  accused  were  guilty  in  the  eye  of  the  law, 
hence  the  guiltless  must  be  explained  as  a  person  who 
had  been  unjustly  accused,  and  whom  his  judges  could 
not  justly  condemn  (Wellhausen,  SV,  V.).  Let  us  now 
apply  the  same  meaning  of  sell  to  the  second  clause.  — 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  87 

the  needy,  also,  was  sold,  i.e.  betrayed  by  his  judges. 
But  in  this,  as  in  the  preceding  case,  there  should  be  a 
consideration.  Most  commentators  find  it  only  implied. 
It  is  better,  however,  to  see  it  in  the  words  —  a  pair  of 
shoes:  if  it  is  objected  that  a  pair  of  shoes  was  not  the 
equivalent  of  *' the  poorest  slave"  (Hitzig),  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  pair  of  shoes,  or  rather  the  trifling 
sum  that  would  buy  them,  was  not  the  price  of  the  per- 
son of  the  accused,  but  of  the  integrity  of  his  judges. 
They  were  so  corrupt  that,  for  the  trifling  sum  that  his 
persecutor  could  afford  to  pay  for  judgment  against  him, 
they  pronounced  the  innocent  guilty,  or,  to  put  it  other- 
wise, they  betrayed  for  money,  however  little,  the  guilt- 
less, even  when  he  was  at  the  same  time  needy.  The 
hapless  defendant  might  thus  lose  not  merely  his  sub- 
stance, if  he  had  any,  or  his  freedom,  but  even  his  life. 
The  second  clause  is  thus  made  to  strengthen  the  first 
and  the  whole  to  describe  the  extent  to  which  the  greed 
for  money  had  mastered  Israel.^  Such  conduct  was 
plainly  contrary  to  God's  law  (Ex.  xxiii,  6-Z\  but  Amos 
does  not  appeal  to  any  external  revelation.  Compare 
viii.  6. 

7.  This  verse  contains  the  second  and  third  counts  in 
the  indictment.  The  first  is  —  Nay,  they  pant  for  dust 
of  the  earth  upon  the  heads  of  the  lowly :  i.e.  they,  the 
powerful,  are  eager  to  bring  dust  of  the  earth  upon  the 

1  The  verb  13^  is  several  times  used  in  the  sense  here  required,  e.g.y 
Jud.  ii.  14;  Ps.  xliv.  13.  For  ^^'^1-=  guiltless,  innocejtt,  see  Ex.  xxiii.  7, 
Prov.  xviii.  17;  and  for  "113172  —for  the  sake  of,  1  Sam.  xii.  22,  but  espe- 
cially Am.  viii.  6.  Hoffmann  takes  "11217  in  the  sense  of  produce  (Josh.  v. 
II  f.),  and  explains  cbuj  as  a  token  (Ru.  iv.  7),  thus  getting  the  render- 
ing,/cr  the  produce  of  [land  of  the  debtor  secured  to  the  judge  by]  a  pair 
of  shoes. 


88  AMOS. 

heads  of  the  lowly ;  or,  without  either  figure,  they  are 
eager  to  bring  the  lowly  into  distress ;  for  dust  or  ashes 
on  the  head  was,  among  the  Hebrews,  a  sign  of  grief 
or  misery  (Josh.  vii.  6;  Lam.  ii.  lo).  Slightly  different 
from  this  is  the  interpretation  according  to  which  the 
dust  is  that  which  is  brought  upon  the  heads  of  the 
lowly  by  crushing  them  to,  or  dragging  them  upon, 
the  ground  (Ibn  Ezra).  Quite  different  is  a  third, 
according  to  which  the  powerful  are  so  eager  for  landed 
possessions  (Isa.  v.  8)  that  they  begrudge  the  lowly  the 
little  dust  that  these  latter  cast  upon  their  heads  in 
token  of  their  misery  (Hitzig).  This  last  interpreta- 
tion seems  growing  in  favor  (see  Duhm,  TP  iii).i 
The  main  thought,  and  that  which  especially  arouses 
the  indignation  of  the  prophet,^  is  the  eagerness  with 
which  the  lowly  are  oppressed.  The  next  sentence 
gives  an  illustration  of  the  waj/  in  which  dust  is  brought 
upon  their  heads.  They,  the  powerful  —  turn  aside  the 
way  of  the  humble :  the  way  of  the  humble  is  not 
their  course  (Baur,  Gunning).     Amos  used  a  different 

^  Hoffmann  translates  TT  in  addition  to,  and  thus  gets  the  rendering : 
they  pant  for  the  head  (person)  of  the  lowly  in  addition  to  the  dust  of  the 
<f«r//i- (his  land),  —  which  is  far-fetched  and  awkward.  Equally  indefen- 
sible, because,  though  supported  by  all  the  great  versions,  it  lacks  lexical 
authority,  is  the  translation  of  Baur,  who  renders  D'Si^tt'  as  if  it  were  D"£D 
from  ^Itr  (see  Gen.  iii.  15,  but  compare  Dillman's  commentary),  and  the 
whole  sentence :  zvho  tread  (Sept.  to,  Tcarovvra. ;  Vulg.  qui  conterunt^  on 
the  dust  on  the  heads  of  the  loudy.  Wellhausen  (^SV,  V.)  derives  D'SKtT 
from  ^It!^,  but  he  ignores  the  next  three  words,  rendering :  crush  the  head 
of  the  lowly.     Compare  the  Targum. 

2  The  participle  with  the  article  has  here  the  force  of  an  impatient 
epithet.  See  Ps.  xix.  11 ;  Ges.  126,  \.b.  The panters,  however,  would  not 
sound  as  well  as  nay  with  the  Present.  In  the  following  sentence  this 
construction  is  changed  to  the  Imperfect,  denoting  repeated  or  customary 
action. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  89 

expression  for  the  violation  of  justice  (v.  12).  It  is 
rather  their  path  in  life,  the  walk  by  which  they  are 
characterized  (Ps.  i.  6).  This  was  turned,  or,  rather, 
they  were  turned  from  it,  when  they  were  hindered  in 
the  pursuit  of  their  modest  aims,  or  deprived  of  the 
simple  blessings  with  which  they  were  satisfied,  by 
those  who  went  out  of  tJicir  way  to  oppress  them. 
This  was  regarded  a  grievous  sin  under  both  covenants 
(Job  xxiv.  4 ;  Matt,  xviii.  6).  —  A  man  also  and  his  father 
go  to  the  maid :  this  is  the  third  count.  The  man  is 
any  man.  The  meaning,  therefore,  is  that  young  and 
old  are  guilty  of  the  offence  charged.  The  maid  is 
not  necessarily  the  same  maid  (Keil).  The  article  is  1 
generic,  and  the  maid  is  the  strange  woman  whose  bland-  ' 
ishments  are  described  in  the  Proverbs  (vii.  6  ff.),  the^ 
harlot.^  Such  women  were  sometimes  found  in  the 
service  of  heathen  divinities  (Hos.  iv.  14),  and  it  is  not 
impossible  that  Amos  had  this  class  of  prostitutes  in 
mind  (Steiner).^  If  that  is  the  case,  he  had  reason  for 
the  strong  expression  that  follows  —  for  the  sake  of 
profaning  my  holy  name :  for,  though  sin  of  any  sort  / 
was  a  profanation  of  the  name  of  Jehovah  (Lev.  xxii.  ' 
32),  such  wholesale  impurity  practiced,  perhaps,  at  the 
very  shrine  once  dedicated  to  his  worship  (Gen.  xii.  8 ; 
xxviii.  22),  must  have  seemed  to  the  prophet  nothing 
short  of  a  deliberate  insult  to  the  Almighty.^  See 
Lev.  XX.  I  ff. 

8.    The  fourth  and  last  count,  like  the  first,  contains 
two  specifications ;  first,  —  They  even  stretch  themselves 

1  Ges.  126,  4.     The  Septuagint  has  TTf]v  avrriv  Trai8ia-KT]v. 

2  Hoffmann,  by  changing  and  otherwise  doing  violence  to  the  text,  gets : 
A  man  and  his  judge  (-^5)  deal  according  to  agreement  (rni?3n). 

^  The  Septuagint  has  rh  tvo\x<x  toO  deoO  avruv. 


90  AMOS, 

on  garments  taken  in  pledge :  the  garments  were  the 
outer  garments  that  Orientals  use  not  only  during  the 
day,  but  also  during  the  night.  Indeed,  the  poor  have 
almost  no  other  bedding.  It  was»  therefore,  but  humane 
that,  as  the  earliest  code  known  to  the  Hebrews  pro- 
vided (Ex.  xxii.  26),  whenever  a  poor  man  had  been 
obliged  to  pawn  his  cloak  it  should  always  be  returned 
to  him  at  night.  Amos  charges  the  usurers  in  Israel 
with  disregarding  this  merciful  provision  and  even 
spreading  the  garments  of  the  poor  on  their  couches 
at  their  religious  feasts.^  —  beside  every  altar :  there 
were  various  altars.  Jeroboam  I.  had  dedicated  at 
least  two,  one  at  Bethel,  the  other  at  Dan,  to  a  form 
of  the  worship  of  Jehovah  (i  Kings  xii.  29),  and  per- 
haps those  at  Gilgal  and  Beersheba  were  of  the  same 
sort  (iv.  4 ;  V.  4  f .).  There  were,  however,  others,  even 
at  Bethel  (iii.  14),  some  of  which  must  have  been 
erected  to  the  idols  at  that  time  worshiped  in  Israel 
(v.  26;  Hos.  X.  i).  At  all  of  these,  as  often  as  there 
was  a  feast,  anybody  could  see  the  dearest  rights  of  the 
poor  shamelessly  disregarded,  and  this  in  the  name  of 
religion.  —  the  wine  of  such  as  have  been  fined  they 
drink,  i.e.  wine  purchased  with  the  proceeds  of  fines. 
Amos  does  not  say  that  these  fines  were  unjustly 
imposed,  but  the  character  of  the  justice  that  was  dis- 
pensed in  Israel  {y.  6)  was  such  as  to  make  it  almost 
certain  that  they  were  excessive  if  not  totally  unmer- 

1  Ewald  would  change  Its''  to  IT  (Joel  iv.  3),  and  read:  they  cast  lots 
for  garments  taken  in  pledge.  Oort  would  drop  717,  and  make  D''nJi  the 
direct  object  of  IDV  These  and  other  changes  in  the  text  have  been  sug- 
gested because  scholars  have  been  loth  to  believe  that  the  same  form  US'* 
would  be  used  both  transitively  and  intransitively  in  so  close  connection. 
(Compare  v.  7.) 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  91 

ited.  The  wine  thus  purchased  was  an  essential  of  the 
meal  that  followed  certain  offerings  (Ex.  xxxii.  6 ;  Num. 
XXV.  2 ;  I  Sam.  x.  3),  and  the  drunkards  of  Ephraim 
(Isa.  V.  1 1 ;  compare  An:^^  iv.  i)  drank  it  —  in  the  houses 
of  their  gods :  the  clause  might  also  be  translated,  171 
the  house  of  their  gods  (Orelli),  or,  in  the  house  of  their 
God  (Keil).  The  former  of  these  translations  is  essen- 
tially that  of  the  text ;  to  the  latter  there  are  the  fol- 
lowing objections:  i.  Amos  represents  the  true  God 
as  dwelling  at  Jerusalem  (i.  2);  2.  If  he  had  intended 
to  recognize  any  other  sanctuary  as  equally  the  abode 
of  the  Almighty,  he  would  probably  have  used  the 
words  in  the  honse  of  Jehovah  (Joel  i.  9);  3.  The  phrase 
is  parallel  with  beside  every  altar ^  which,  taken  in  con- 
nection with  iii.  14  and  v.  26,  is  best  explained  as 
implying  not  merely  a  nurnber  of  altars,  but  also  a 
number  of  divinities.     See  Oort,  TT  140.^ 

b.  JehovaJi  s  Goodness^  vv.  9-12.  —  9.  Yet  it  was  I: 
an  emphatic  contrast,  not  between  Jehovah  and  the 
helpless  idols  worshiped  by  Israel  (Orelli),  but  between 
Jehovah  and  ungrateful  Israel.  It  is  as  if  Amos  had 
said  (in  Jehovah's  name),  These  things  ye  have  done  to 
me,  while  /,  on  the  other  hand,  etc.  The  enumeration 
of  the  proofs  of  Jehovah's  goodness  that  follow,  thus 
greatly  enhances  the  apparent  turpitude  of  Israel's  con- 
duct. —  the  Amorite :  the  singular  (always)  for  the 
plural,  like  the  Indian  for  tJie  Indians.  The  Amorites, 
according  to  Gen.  x.  15,  were  one  of  eleven  tribes  sprung 

1  The  rendering  adopted  is  based  on  the  well-known  law,  that  when  a 
compound  conception  is  to  be  pluralized  it  is  necessary  to  give  to  only  one 
of  the  members  of  the  compound  the  plural  form  (Ges.  124,  2).  See 
I  Sam.  xxxi.  9.  The  reading  of  the  Septuagint  is  iv  ry  of/cy  rov  deoO 
aiiTuv. 


92  AMOS. 

from  Canaan.  Their  original  home  was  in  the  hills  of 
Southern  Palestine  (Gen.  xiv.  7,  1 3),  but  at  the  time  of 
the  Exodus,  Amorites  were  found,  not  only  in  this  region 
(Num.  xiii.  29  ;  Josh.  xi.  3),  but  ip  their  greatest  strength 
east  of  the  Jordan  (Num.  xxi.  21).  The  name  Amorite, 
however,  like  Canaanite,  is  often,  as  here,  given  to  the 
whole  population  of  the  Promised  Land  (Gen.  xv.  16 ; 
Josh.  xxiv.  15).  The  Amorites  proper  were  overthrown 
by  Moses  before  his  death  (Num.  xxi.  21  ff.  ;  Deut.  ii. 
26  ff.).  The  complete  subjugation  of  the  tribes  of 
Canaan  was  not  accomplished  until  the  reign  of  David 
(2  Sam.  xxi.  2).  —  like  the  height  of  cedars  :  tne  stature 
of  the  Amorites,  or,  strictly,  Anakites,  is  described  as 
gigantic  also  in  Hebrew  history  (Deut.  i.  20,  28).  It  is 
here  compared  with  the  height  of  the  cedar,  a  tree 
which,  among  the  Hebrews,  was  the  ideal  of  grandeur 
(2  Kings  xiv.  19 ;  Isa.  ii.  13),  as  the  oak  was  of  strength 
(Isa.  ii.  13;  Zech.  xi.  2).  This  picture  is  calculated  to 
remind  the  Hebrews  that  it  was  really  Jehovah  and  not 
they  themselves  who  destroyed  the  Amorites.  —  his 
fruit  above  and  his  roots  beneath :  there  is  in  these 
words  no  reference  to  different  ages  or  classes  among 
the  Amorites  (Hitzig).  They  simply  mean  root  and 
branch,  completely.  See  Eze.  xvii.  9;  Hos.  ix.  16;  com- 
pare Job  xviii.  16;  Isa.  v.  24.^ 

10.  I  myself  also  brought  you  up  from  the  land  of 
Egypt:  the  order  in  which  these  first  two  examples 
are  cited  is  not  chronological.  The  Amorites  were  not 
destroyed  until  after  the  Exodus  and  the  sojourn  in  the 
desert ;  but   there  is  a  logical  warrant   for  the  actual 

1  The  famous  inscription  on  the  sarcophagus  of  the  Sidonean  king 
Eshmunazar  also  contains  this  expression. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  93 

arrangement,  since  the  destruction  of  the  Amorites  had 
to  precede  the  complete  occupation  of  Canaan  in  which 
the  Exodus  resulted.  This  great  deliverance  is  con- 
stantly used  as  an  argument  for  gratitude  and  obedi- 
ence, especially  in  the  Pentateuch.  See  Ex.  xx.  2  ;  also 
Hos.  xi.  I ;  Mic.  vi.  4.  The  full  effect  of  its  application 
in  this  case  is  obtained  by  the  change  from  the  third  to 
the  second  person.  Israel,  in  their  ingratitude,  are  thus 
brought  face  to  face  with  their  outraged  benefactor.^. — 
and  led  you  in  the  desert  forty  years :  the  Hebrews 
were  denied  a  direct  entrance  into  Canaan  in  punish- 
ment for  their  rebellion  against  Jehovah  (Num.  xiv. 
26  ff .),  yet  since,  during  their  wanderings,  he  never  lost 
sight  of  them,  and  finally  brought  them  into  the  Prom- 
ised Land,  even  the  great  and  terrible  desert  to  which 
they  were  banished  might  well  be  remembered  with 
thankfulness.  It  was,  in  fact,  only  a  scene  in  the  great 
drama  of  the  Exodus.  See  Deut.  xxix.  4.  —  to  possess 
the  land  of  the  Amorite :  this  clause  explains,  not  the 
result  of  Jehovah's  patience  with  his  people  in  the 
desert,  but  his  object  in  leading  them  up  from  Egypt. 

II.  The  Exodus  was  a  manifestation  of  Jehovah  to 
his  people.  Moses  was  the  mediator  through  whom  the 
revelation  was  effected.  When  Moses  died,  Jehovah  did 
not  sever  his  relations  with  the  Hebrews,  but  continued 
through  other  like  instruments  (Deut.  xviii.  15)  to  make 
himself  and  his  will  known.  Therefore  he  says  —  More- 
over, I  ordained  some  of  your  children  for  prophets : 
Israel  (in  the  narrower  sense)  had  been  especially 
favored  in  this  respect ;  for,  besides  the  prophets  who 
had  been  sent  to  the  Hebrews  as  a  whole,  they  had  had, 

1  Some  MSS.  in  the  preceding  verse  have  OySBtt  for  D.TOBtt. 


9+  AMOS. 

among  others,  the  following:  Ahijah  (i  Kings  xiv.  2), 
Jehu  (i  Kings  xvi.  i),  Elijah  (i  Kings  xvii.  i),  Elisha 
(i  Kings  xix.  16),  Micaiah  (i  Kings  xxii.  8),  Jonah 
(2  Kings  xiv.  25),  with  two  others  whose  names  are  not 
given  (i  Kings  xiii.  i ;  xx.  35),  and  some  of  these  had 
been  among  the  greatest  whom  Jehovah  ever  commis- 
sioned. —  and  some  of  your  youths  for  nazirites :  nazi- 
rites  (not  Nazarites)  were  of  two  kinds,  those  separated, 
devoted,  to  Jehovah  for  a  limited  time  (according  to  the 
Talmud  not  less  than  thirty  days),  called  nazirites  of 
days,  and  those  thus  consecrated  for  life.  The  law  with 
reference  to  the  former  is  found  Num.  vi.  i  ff.  The 
requirements  were  the  same  for  the  latter,  as  appears 
from  the  references  to  the  vows  of  Samson  (Jud.  xiii.  5) 
and  Samuel  (i  Sam.  i.  11),  the  only  nazirites  for  life 
mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament.  There  were  doubt- 
less others,  who,  though  not  like  these  consecrated  to 
Jehovah  from  their  birth,  took  upon  them  the  vows  of 
the  nazirite  in  later  life.  Perhaps  that  is  what  is  meant 
by  the  expression  j/^^/^/zi",  which,  however,  should  not  be 
taken  too  literally.  It  may  be  used  because  the  nazirite, 
even  if  consecrated  from  his  birth,  could  not  enter  upon 
the  service  of  Jehovah  until  he  was  old  enough  to  be 
called  3.  youth  (i  Sam.  i.  24).  The  nazirites  were  teach- 
ers, like  the  prophets,  but  the  lessons  which  they  gave 
were  object  lessons.^  —  Is  not  this  indeed  so?  No  doubt 
is  implied,  but  the  opposite.  The  question,  therefore,  is 
calculated  to  force  from  those  addressed  a  confession 
which  will  at  the  same  time  be  their  own  condemnation. 
—  saith  Jehovah,  lit.  oracle  of  Jehovah.     A '  prophetical 

1  John  the  Baptist  also  was  a  nazirite  (Lu.  i.  15),  and,  according  to 
Eusebius  {Hisi.  II.  23),  so  was  James  the  brother  of  Jesus. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  95^ 

formula,  especially  frequent  in  the  books  of  Jeremiah 
and  Ezekiel. 

12.  ye  made  the  nazirites  drink  wine:  there  is  no 
example  illustrating  this  statement  in  the  extant  records 
of  Israel,  but  the  degeneracy  of  the  nation  is  a  sufficient 
guaranty  of  its  correctness.  The  sensualists  described 
vv.  7  f .  would  not  scruple  to  rid  themselves,  even  by  vio- 
lence, of  the  embarrassing  example  of  the  nazirite.  — 
Ye  shall  not  prophesy :  there  had  been  instances 
enough  of  this  latter  offense,  e.g.,  by  Jeroboam  I.  (i  Kings 
xiii.  4),  Jezebel  (i  Kings  xviii.  4 ;  xix.  2),  Ahab  (i  Kings 
xxii.  2),  Ahaziah  (2  Kings  i.  9),  and  Jehoram  (2  Kings  vi. 
31);  and  another  was  very  soon  added,  when  Amos 
himself  was  ordered  to  hold  his  peace  or  leave  the 
country  by  Amasiah  the  priest  at  Bethel  (vii.  13).  Thus 
Israel,  that  they  might  be  undisturbed  in  their  sins, 
recklessly  severed  their  relations  with  him  to  whom 
they  owed  their  existence  as  a  people  and  invited  the 
penalty  described  in  the  remainder  of  the  chapter. 

c.  The  Penalty  of  Ingratitude ,  vv.  13-16.  —  13.  Lo,  I : 
it  is  the  same  person,  but  the  interjection  introduces 
him  in  a  new  role.  Love  has  given  place  to  wrath,  and 
Israel's  benefactor  has  become  their  destroyer.  What 
means  will  he  use.?  There  is  not  much  doubt  that 
Amos  intended  to  represent  him  as  threatening  an  earth- 
quake. This  is  apparent  not  only  from  the  phrase, 
under  you,  referring  to  the  earth,  but  also  from  vv.  14  ff., 
where  an  effect  is  described  that  would  naturally  be 
produced  by  such  a  catastrophe.  But  what  has  an 
earthquake  in  common  with  —  a  cart  full  of  sheaves  ? 
It  is  necessary  to  consider  this  question,  since  the  verb 
used  in  this  passage  is  one  that  does  not  occur  elsewhere 


96  AMOS. 

in  the  Hebrew  scriptures,  and,  therefore,  one  whose, 
meaning  cannot  be  determined  by  ordinary  methods. 
What,  then,  has  an  earthquake  in  common  with  a  cart 
full  of  sheaves?  In  the  first  place,  a  cart  like  those  with 
which  Amos  must  have  been  acquainted,  if  heavily 
loaded,  would  creak  and  groan  under  its  burden.  Some 
such  noise  accompanies  an  earthquake.  It  is  possible, 
therefore,  that  Amos  meant  to  say,  /  will  cause  a  creak- 
ing under  y oil,  snch  as  a  ca7't  fnll  of  sheaves  caiiseth.  At 
any  rate,  this  is  one  of  the  most  plausible  among  the 
renderings  that  have  been  suggested.^  The  character- 
istic feature  of  the  earthquake,  however,  is  of  course  the 
trembling  motion  from  which  it  derives  its  name.  Now 
a  cart  loaded  with  grain  would  also  cause  such  a  motion, 
even  in  the  ground  over  which  it  was  driven,  but  a  more 
perceptible  disturbance  in  the  sheaves  with  which  it  was 
loaded.  Hence  the  warrant  for  translating  :  /  will  catise 
a  trembling  nnder  yon  such  as  the  cart  that  is  fnll  of 
sheaves  causeth?      It  is  like  Amos  to  use  this  homely 

1  It  is  also  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  interpretations  attempted.  Jerome 
translates  p''17tt  stridebo,  and  several  of  the  Fathers  adopt  the  correspond- 
ing Greek  word  Tpi^eiv,  which  is  also  found  in  Aquila  and  the  margin  of 
the  Codex  Barberini.  J.  D.  Michaelis  and  Justi  give  to  the  passage  sub- 
stantially the  rendering  above  suggested.  Hoffmann,  finally,  like  Justi, 
basing  his  opinion  on  a  meaning  of  the  corresponding  Arabic  word,  ren- 
ders the  verb  creak,  but  the  whole  passage,  Where  ye  stand  -will  I  make 
you  cry  out,  as  the  threshing-sledge  makes  the  \_fioor'\  filled  with  sheaves 
groan.     Compare  Pusey. 

2  The  meaning  tremble  or  totter  for  pll?  is  rendered  even  more  plausible 
by  the  use  made  of  its  derivatives  T\p'^  and  ilpUItt,  Ps.  Iv.  4  and  Ixvi.  ii. 
See,  however,  Nowack  on  these  passages.  Orelli,  who  adopts  this  render- 
ing for  the  verb,  regards  it  as  intransitive  in  the  second  clause,  translating : 
/  make  it  sway  under  you  as  the  wagon  sways  that  is  full  of  sheaves. 
Steiner  gets  the  same  translation  by  changing  the  verb  from  plU  to  pIB. 
See  also  Wellhausen,  SV^  V.     Gunning  is  consistent  in  his  rendering  of 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  97 

figure,  but  he  could  hardly  have  chosen  one  more  apt, 
especially  if,  as  one  is  tempted  to  think,  he  had  in  mind 
the  motion  given  to  the  grain  as  the  cart  was  driven 
across  the  fields  or  along  a  country  road.^  His  hearers 
(or  readers)  doubtless  appreciated  its  fitness,  and  having 
themselves,  perhaps  recently,  had  experience  of  the 
meaning  of  earthquakes  (iv.  ii),  shuddered  as  he  pro- 
ceeded. 

14.  Then  shall  refuge  fail  the  swift:  the  catastrophe 
will  come  so  suddenly  that  even  the  swiftest  of  foot  will 
not  be  able  to  escape.  —  the  strong  shall  not  assert  (lit. 
strengthen)  his  strength:  he  cannot  grapple  with  the 
force  by  which  the  earth  is  rocked  under  his  feet.  — 
nor  shall  the  mighty  rescue  himself:  he  whose  deeds 
have  made  him  famous  among  his  fellows  will  find  his 
strength  and  courage  unavailing. 

the  verb,  but  omits  TO,  and  connects  the  motion  in  the  second  clause  with 
the  grain,  thus:  /  make  it  tremble  under  you  as  a  full  wagon  makes  the 
sheaves  tremble. 

1  The  verb  pll?  is  more  commonly  regarded  as  the  Aramaic  form  of 
pli,  with  the  force  of  press,  but  those  who  favor  this  derivation  do  not 
agree  in  their  interpretation  of  the  passage.  Thus,  while  some  regard  the 
verb  as  transitive  in  both  clauses,  others  render  it  as  a  transitive  in  the 
former  and  an  intransitive  in  the  latter,  and  still  others  insist  that  it  is 
intransitive  in  both ;  but  whether  one  translate,  /  will  press  you  down 
(or  in  your  place') ,  as  the  wagon  presses  which  is  filled  with  sheaves  (Keil), 
or,  /  will  press  you  down,  as  a  wagon  gives  way  which  is  full  of  sheaves 
(Maurer),  or,  finally,  I  feel  myself  {am')  pressed  under  you,  as  the  wagon 
feels  itself  {is)  pressed  which  is  full  of  sheaves  (Baur),  one  has  to  do  vio- 
lence to  the  text  and  disregard  the  requirements  of  the  context.  Wetz- 
stein,  commenting  on  Hoffmann's  interpretation  {ZA  W,  1883,  278),  adds  a 
new  one.  He  renders  the  passage:  I  will  cause  a  stoppage  under  you  as 
the  threshing-wheel  (Isa.  xxviii.  27  f.)  stops  {i.e.  no  longer  turns)  which  is 
choked  with  straw,  and  quotes  the  use  of  the  Arabic  equivalent  of  pll?  in 
Syria  and  Palestine  in  the  sense  of  hinder,  to  support  his  view. 


98  AMOS. 

15.  This  verse  and  the  next  repeat  the  statements  of 
the  last  in  a  different  order  and  with  increased  empha- 
sis.^ —  he  who  handleth  the  bow,  perhaps  the  strong  of 
the  preceding  verse.  His  arms  will  be  as  useless  as  the 
strength  behind  them.  He  —  shall  not  stand,  must 
yield.  —  nor  shall  the  swift  of  foot  rescue  :  this  passage 
is  repeated  for  the  sake  of  making  the  following  addi- 
tion.2  —  nor  he  who  rideth  the  horse :  the  swiftness  of 
neither  man  nor  horse  can  save  one. 

16.  the  stoutest  of  heart,^  the  most  stubbornly  cour- 
ageous.—  shall  flee:  join  the  rest  in  their  vain  attempt 
to  escape  the  wrath  of  Jehovah.  —  naked,  defenceless, 
having  lost  his  courage  as  well  as  abandoned  his  armor. 
—  in  that  day  —  the  day  of  Jehovah.     See  v.  18. 

This  is  a  terrible  picture.  How  is  it  to  be  under- 
stood }  Did  Amos  mean  to  predict  a  literal  earthquake  } 
In  favor  of  this  interpretation  is  the  fact  that  he  reck- 
oned such  phenomena  among  the  means  by  which  Jeho- 
vah had  chastised  his  people  (iv.  11);  that  in  another 
passage  (viii.  8)  he  seems  to  have  expected  the  occur- 
rence of  an  earthquake ;  and,  finally,  that  in  the  title 
(i.  I )  he  is  said  to  have  prophesied  just  before  the  great 
earthquake  in  the  days  of  Uzziah.  The  conclusion  is 
therefore  very  natural  that  Amos  foresaw  that  earth- 
quake, and  that  it  is  to  be  regarded  as  the  fulfillment  of 
this  prophecy  (Orelli).  On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  this  prophecy  concerning  Israel  is  one 

1  K  15  is  wanting  in  several  manuscripts.  The  Arabic  version  also 
omits  it  contrary  to  the  authority  of  the  Septuagint. 

2  The  object  ItTDS  must  be  supphed  (see  Ps.  xxix.  i)  or  the  verb  137^^ 
itself  changed  to  ts'^lfi^,  the  form  that  the  translators  of  the  Septuagint  gave 
it.     Hence  the  reading  Stao-w^?). 

2  On  the  construction  see  Ges.'^  1^8,  3. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  99 

of  a  series,  in  all  of  the  rest  of  which  a  symbol  for  war 
—  fire  —  is  employed;  that  throughout  the  remainder  of 
the  book  war  is  the  means  by  which  Israel  are  finally  to 
be  destroyed  (v.  27;  vi.  7,  14;  vii.  9,  17;  xix.  9,  14); 
and,  finally,  that  in  this  passage  (y.  15)  mention  is  made 
of  the  bow,  as  if  it  might  be  a  figure  for  arms  taken 
against  the  threatened  danger  (Keil).  See  also  v.  16. 
In  view  of  these  considerations  one  might  perhaps  be 
justified  in  interpreting  the  earthquake  predicted  figu- 
ratively as  a  convulsion  such  as  that  which  followed 
the  invasion  of  Palestine  by  Tiglath-pileser  III.  and 
resulted  (in  722  B.C.)  in  the  total  overthrow  of  the 
northern  kingdom  by  Sargon  (2  Kings  xv.  29 ;  xvii.  6 ; 
Schrader,  KAT  255  f. ;  271  ff.). 

II. 

THE   CASE   OF   ISRAEL  (iii.-vi.). 

Amos  was  not  content  with  convicting  Israel  of  the 
basest  ingratitude  toward  Jehovah,  their  God,  and  con- 
demning them  in  the  general  verdict  with  their  neigh- 
bors. They  seemed  to  demand,  and  he  gave  them,  so 
to  speak,  a  separate  trial.  The  second  part  of  his  book 
is  a  record  of  the  case. 

1.    Preliminaries   of  Justice,  iii. 

First  come  certain  preliminaries  by  which  the  rights 
of  the  accused  are  insured.  Thus,  e.g.^  Amos  repeats 
with  solemn  emphasis  — 

a.  The  Substance  of  the  hidictment,  vv.  1-2. —  i.  Hear 
this  word  is  the  solemn  formula  with  which  each  of  the 
three  divisions  of  this  part  begins  (iv.  i ;  v.  i).  —  chil- 


100  AMOS, 

-dren  of  Israel,  or  house  of  Israel'^  is  a  name  by  which 
Amos  repeatedly  addresses  the  ten  tribes  of  the  north- 
ern kingdom.2  In  fact,  if  this  be  an  exception,  it  is  the 
only  passage  in  which  the  words  are  used  by  him  in 
any  other  sense.  No  one,  therefore,  would  think  of 
applying  them  to  the  Hebrews  as  a  people  in  this  in- 
stance, but  for  the  clause  following,  especially  as  in  the 
latter  half  of  the  chapter  the  children  of  Israel  in 
the  narrower  sense  are  plainly  intended.  Why  not  sup- 
pose that  Amos  here  also  addressed  the  ten  tribes,  but, 
remembering  that  what  he  was  going  to  say  applied  to 
all  who  had  been  delivered  from  bondage,  added  — 
against  the  whole  family  which  I  brought  up  from  the 
land  of  Egypt,  and  thus  made  my  people  (Ex.  xv.  16).'* 
This  addition  (or  correction),  which  is  made  a  part  of 
the  divine  message  by  the  introduction  of  the  first  per- 
son, had  a  twofold  force.  It  reminded  Israel  proper 
that  any  preeminence  among  the  nations  of  which  they 
might  boast  was  the  inheritance  of  all  the  sons  of  Jacob, 
and  it  reminded  Judah  that  any  danger  that  threatened 
Israel  threatened  them  also  so  far  as  they  had  been 
guilty  of  similar  transgressions. 

2.  You  only  have  I  chosen,  lit.  knoivn.  This  is  a 
doctrine  not  merely  of  the  Pentateuch  (Gen.  xii.  i ;  Ex. 
xxiv.  8 ;  Deut.  xxvi.  16  £f.),  but  of  the  entire  Old  Testa- 
ment (Hos.  xi.  I ;  Isa.  v.  i  ff . ;  Jer.  iii.  i).  When,  how- 
ever, it  is  asserted  that  Jehovah  chose  the  Hebrews  for 
his  people,  it  is  not  meant  that  this  choice  was  arbitrary 

1  The  latter,  instead  of  the  former  phrase,  is  found  in  this  passage 
according  to  the  Targum,  the  Septuagint,  and  some  Hebrew  manuscripts. 

2  The  form  children  of  Israel  occurs,  outside  of  this  passage,  ii.  1 1, 
iii.  12,  iv.  5,  ix.  7;  the  other,  v.  i,  25,  vi.  14,  vii.  10,  ix.  9. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  101 

and  unconditional,  so  that  when  he  made  it  he  thereby 
did  injustice  to  the  other  peoples.  Amos,  in  this  very- 
verse,  clearly  enough  teaches  that  it  had  a  moral  warrant, 
and  that  therefore  it  was  valid  only  so  long  as  the 
character  of  the  Hebrews  themselves  justified  it.  When 
they  lost  their  faith  in  Jehovah  and  neglected  his  ser- 
vice, they  lost  their  claim  to  his  peculiar  favor.  See 
ix.  7.  —  therefore  :  not,  of  course,  because  they  were  his 
chosen,  but  because  having  been  chosen  they  had  proven 
unworthy  of  his  favor.  —  all  your  iniquities :  the  word 
all  seems  sometimes  to  have  been  understood  as  denot- 
ing a  contrast  between  Jehovah's  treatment  of  Israel 
and  his  treatment  of  other  nations ;  as  if  he  had  said, 
the  other  nations,  because  I  have  not  shown  them 
especial  favor,  I  will  punish  less  strictly  than  they 
deserve;  but  you,  because  ye  are  my  people,  for  all 
your  iniquities  (Keil).  This  cannot  have  been  Amos' 
meaning.  One  must  therefore  interpret  all  here  as  in 
viii.  7,  where  it  has  about  the  force  of  many  (compare 
V.  12).  Israel,  like  the  rest  of  the  nations,  were  to  be 
punished  because  they  had  transgressed  repeatedly.  If 
their  punishment  was  to  be  severer,  it  was  not  because 
a  larger  proportion  of  their  sins  was  taken  into  account, 
but  because,  in  view  of  the  favor  that  they  had  receiyed, 
their  sins  were  more  heinous  in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah.^ 

b.  The  Prophet's  Credentials,  vv.  3-8. — The  announce- 
ment just  quoted  was  not  calculated  to  find  ready  ac- 
ceptance. Amos  doubtless  knew  that  his  authority  for 
making  it,  or  for  assuming  the  prophetic  office,  would 

1  There  is  evidently  no  "  particularism  "  in  the  passage,  and  therefore  no 
reason  why  its  genuineness  should  be  questioned  as  it  has  been  by  Oort 
(rr,  1880,  122). 


102  AMOS. 

be  questioned.     The  following  verses  are  intended  to 
answer  such  questions. 

3.  Do  two  walk  together  except  they  have  joined  each 
other  ?  i.e.  for  the  purpose.  All  speculation  concerning 
the  two  intended,  whether  Joel  and  Amos,  Jehovah  and 
Israel  (Marck),  Jehovah  and  Assyria,  or  Jehovah  and  the 
prophet  (Orelli),  is  idle.  They  are  any  two  persons  seen 
walking  together.  The  natural  inference  in  such  a 
case  is  that  the  men  have  met  by  agreement  for  the 
purpose  of  making  the  journey  in  company,  or,  in 
broader  terms,  that  this,  like  other  phenomena,  has  a 
cause. 

4.  Doth  a  lion  roar :  lions  must  have  been  common 
in  Palestine  in  early  times  (Jud.  xiv.  5  ;  i  Sam.  xvii. 
34).  They  remained  a  scourge  some  time  after  Amos 
(2  Kings  xvii.  25).  Johannes  Phocas,  toward  the  end 
of  the  twelfth  century  of  our  era,  related  that  they 
were  still  found  in  the  thickets  bordering  the  Jordan 
(Reland,  Palestina,  I.  274;  Van  Lennep,  Bible  Landsy 
247).  They  have  now  entirely  disappeared  from  the 
country.  —  when  there  is  no  prey  for  him,  i.e.  does  he 
go  hunting  in  vain  }  This  interpretation  is  commended 
by  the  fact  that  it  furnishes  a  contrast  to  the  latter  half 
of  the  verse,  such  as  is  found  in  each  of  the  next  two 
verses.  If  it  be  objected  that  lions  do  not  roar  before 
taking  prey  (Orelli),  it  is  only  necessary  to  quote  Isa. 
v.  29  and  Ps.  civ.  21  to  show  that  at  least  the  Hebrews 
represented  them  as  so  doing.  The  question  implies 
the  truth  that  when  a  cause  has  been  set  in  operation 
one  may  look  for  an  effect.  The  rest  of  the  verse  pre- 
sents the  correlative  truth  already  found  in  v.  3.  —  a 
young  lion  is  purely  a  variation.  —  except  he  have  caught 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  103 

something :  when  one  hears  him,  therefore,  one  infers 
that  he  has  something  (compare  Keil). 

5.  In  this  verse  the  order  of  thought  is  reversed. — 
Doth  a  bird  fall  upon  the  ground,  where  the  springe  with 
its  temptation  is  placed.  The  words,  a  snare  of,  fit 
so  awkwardly  into  the  construction  and  are  so  easily 
explained  as  an  interpolation,  that  with  the  Septuagint 
it  seems  best  to  omit  them.^  —  if  there  be  no  springe  for 
her,  set  to  catch  her.  When,  therefore,  one  sees  a  bird 
fall  fluttering  to  the  earth,  one  infers  that  it  has  been 
caught.^ — doth  a  snare  fly  up  from  the  ground,  as  it 
does  when  it  closes  upon  a  bird.  On  this  subject  see 
Smith,  BD,  art.  Sparrow.  —  and  catch  nothing  at  all, 
without  effect.^ 

6.  The  order  of  thought  in  this  verse  is  the  same  as 
in  V.  4. — If  a  trumpet  be  blown,  by  a  watchman  (Eze. 
xxxiii.  3  ;  i  Cor.  xiv.  8),  —  do  not  the  people  tremble  ?  in 
consequence.  —  if  evil  befall  a  city,  any  misfortune 
such  as  famine,  pestilence,  etc.  —  is  it  not  Jehovah  who 
hath  wrought  it?  The  Hebrews  took  no  account  of 
what  are  called  secondary  causes.  They  saw  the  hand 
of  Jehovah  in  everything  (Isa.  xlv.  7).  Amos,  there- 
fore, here  gives  expression  to  a  universally  accepted 
doctrine.     How  he  harmonized  the  occurrence  of  mis- 

1  A  glance  at  the  original  will  show  how  easy  it  was  to  insert  this 
second  nS.  The  mistake  is  probably  explained  by  the  likeness  of  717  of 
this  sentence  to  nbl?^  of  the  next,  in  which  HS  properly  occurs.  See 
Gunning. 

2  The  word  translated  springe  t£*p1tt,  if  the  preceding  HS  is  omitted, 
must  be  regarded  as  a  synonym  of  the  one  following.  It  is  possible,  how- 
ever, that  the  text  should  be  further  corrected  and  Upltt  be  replaced  by 
"^P^*,  fowler,  the  rendering  in  which  all  the  ancient  versions  agree. 

*  For  the  construction  see  Ges.^o  113,  3,  a. 


104  AMOS. 

fortunes  with  the  character  of  Jehovah  will  appear  in 
the  next  chapter  (6-ii)}  For  the  present  he  merely 
asserts  the  relation  of  cause  and  effect  between  Jeho- 
vah and  misfortunes  in  general.  The  mere  mention  of 
evil,  however,  must  have  suggested  to  those  whom  he 
addressed,  that  his  object  was  not  simply  to  amuse 
them,  and  awakened  in  them  a  certain  apprehension. 
The  next  verse  brings  him  still  nearer  to  the  point 
which  he  wishes  to  enforce. 

7.  But,  lit.  for,  introduces  the  application,  or  ratter 
the  explanation  that  prepares  the  way  for  the  applica- 
tion, of  the  preceding  illustrations.  See  Isa.  v.  7.^  — 
his  purpose,  lit.  his  secret ;  here  his  punitive  purpose. 
Compare  Ps.  xxv.  14.  — his  servants,  the  prophets,  those 
through  whom  he  manifests  himself  to  men  (Gen.  xviii. 
17 ;  Deut.  xviii.  18). 

8.  Now  comes  the  application  proper.  —  A  lion  hath 
roared :  not  the  beast  of  v.  4,  but  he,  the  effect  of  whose 
terrible  voice  is  described  i.  2,  Jehovah.  —  who  can  but 
fear  ?  This  voice,  however,  to  the  great  multitude,  is 
but  a  roar,  an  inarticulate  menace,  giving  no  reasons 
and  suggesting  no  remedy.  The  prophet  alone  can 
interpret  it.  For  him  —  The  Lord  Jehovah  hath  spoken, 
revealing  the  dreadful  purpose  to  which  the  sins  of  his 
children  have  driven  him.  This  revelation  is  at  the 
same  time  a  message  —  who  can  but  prophesy  ?     Who 

1  Hoffmann,  seemingly  because  he  cannot  admit  that  "  all  evil  or  mis- 
fortune comes  from  Jehovah,"  changes  the  text  of  this  verse  so  as  to  make 
it  read,  If  there  is  a  warning  (ni?"l  =  1?")  =  iiriiri)  by  a  prophet,  lit.  a 
watcher  (IW),  hath  not  Jehovah  made  it?  Must  we  then  coin  Hebrew 
words  (nU"1)  to  save  the  credit  even  of  a  prophet?     See  Gunning. 

2  The  suggestion  of  Oort  (^TT,  l88o,  135),  therefore,  that  ^'2  be 
changed  to  .13  is  unnecessary. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  105 

am  I  that  I  should  refuse  to  dehver  the  message  (Eze. 
xxxiii.  6;  i  Cor.  ix.  i6)  ?  It  is  perfectly  clear  from 
this  passage  that  Amos  claimed  to  be  a  prophet,  i.e.  a. 
messenger  of  Jehovah,  and  it  is  equally  clear  from  his 
whole  book  that  he  was  a  prophet.  When,  therefore 
(vii.  14  f.),  he  said  that  he  was  not  a  prophet,  he  cannot 
have  meant  what  his  words  at  first  sight  would  seem  to 
express. 

c.  The  Approval  of  the  Heathen,  vv.  9-15.  —  The 
prophet,  with  rare  skill,  further  prepares  the  way  for 
the  severe  judgments  that  he  has  to  announce  by  sum- 
moning the  heathen  to  witness  the  sins  of  Samaria  and 
afterwards,  in  brief  terms,  as  if  with  their  approval,  con- 
demning the  nation  to  destruction. 

Samaria's  corruption,  vv.  9-10.  —  9.  Proclaim  ye : 
the  speaker  is  Jehovah;  this  seems  clear  from  v.  10; 
but  it  is  difficult  to  determine  who  are  addressed.  It 
can  hardly  be  Israel,  for  they  would  not  be  required  to 
call  witnesses  to  their  own  guilt ;  nor  is  it  probable  that 
the  heathen  themselves  are  the  subject  (Baur),  since 
they  are  not  yet  present  to  the  speaker.  A  favorite 
opinion  is  that  the  prophets  are  addressed  (Keil) ;  but 
to  this  interpretation  there  are  the  objections,  that 
Amos,  to  judge  from  his  book,  seems  to  have  stood 
alone  in  his  office,  and  that  he  would  hardly  have  repre- 
sented himself  as  sent  on  a  mission  to  the  heathen. 
Compare  chapters  i.  and  ii.  It  seems  most  natural, 
therefore,  to  regard  the  subject  as  indefinite,  any  one 
who  might  hear  the  message,  and  could  deliver  it.  — 
over  the  palaces :  it  is  the  wealthy  and  noble  of  Sama- 
ria who  are  the  curse  of  their  people,  hence  it  is  fitting 
that  those  in  whose  presence  they  are  to  be  condemned 


106  AMOS. 

should  also  come  from  palaces,  — a  jury  of  their  peers. ^ 
—  in  Ashdod,  as  a  part  of  Philistia.  The  idea  is  that 
the  condition  of  Israel  is  corrupt  enough  to  offend 
even  a  Philistine.^  —  the  mountains  of  Samaria,  i.e.  round 
about  Samaria,  for  Samaria  was  situated  on  an  isolated 
hill  surrounded  on  every  side  by  higher  ones  from 
which  it  could  be  overlooked  (Robinson,  Res.  II.  304). 
The  city  was  founded  by  Omri,  who  made  it  the  capital 
of  his  kingdom  (i  Kings  xvi.  24).  It  was  further 
adorned  and  fortified  by  his  successors,  especially  Ahab, 
who,  besides  his  "ivory  palace"  (i  Kings  xxii.  39), 
built  there  a  temple  to  Baal  (i  Kings  xvi.  32).  It  with- 
stood at  least  two  sieges,  escaping,  however,  only  by 
the  intervention  of  Jehovah  (i  Kings  xx.  13;  2  Kings 
vii.  i).  When,  therefore,  Jehovah  deserted  Israel,  their 
capital,  after  a  siege  of  three  years,  in  722  B.C.  fell 
before  the  Assyrians  (2  Kings  xvii.  5  f.).  Its  further 
history  is  of  little  interest  until  one  reaches  the  Chris- 
tian era.  About  this  time  Herod  the  Great  rebuilt  the 
city  and  changed  its  name  to  Sebaste  in  honor  of 
Augustus.  Even  he  could  not  procure  for  it  a  lasting 
importance.  It  is  now  a  mere  village,  called  Sebastiyeh, 
on  the  eastern  end  of  the  hill,  which  it  once  covered, 
and  which  is  still  strewn  with  the  ruins  of  its  former 
magnificence.^  —  and  see,  what  one  could  not  help  see- 

^  The  preposition  hv  might  also  be  rendered  on.  The  palaces  would 
then  most  naturally  be  thought  of  as  buildings  from  whose  roofs  the 
inhabitants  of  the  neighborhood  could  best  be  made  to  hear.  See  Matt. 
X.  27  (Pusey).  According  to  the  Masora  this  is  one  of  the  thirteen  passages 
in  which  717  =  ht^.     See  also  the  Septuagint. 

2  The  Septuagint  has  '  Aa-avpLois,  i.e.  the  translators  mistook  "llltTX  for 
"ntt'K,  which  is  more  excusable  than  most  of  their  errors. 

8  Oort  (TT,  i88o,  120),  following  the  Septuagint,  reads  *in  for  ^1,  as 
in  iv.  I  and  vi.  i,  and  thus  brings  the  heathen  into  the  city  of  Samaria. 
So  also  Wellhausen  (SF,  V.). 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  107 

ing.  —  the  manifold  uproar,  lit.  uproars^  repeated  out- 
breaks of  confusion,  the  result  of  the  violence  of  the 
ruling  classes.^  —  oppression,  lit.  oppressions  or  oppressed, 
before  which  the  adjective  manifold  is  to  be  understood.^ 

10.  they  know  not  how  to  do  right:  they,  the 
Samaritans,  or  the  wealthy  among  them,  have  so  long 
and  so  often  done  wrong  that  it  has  become  a  second 
nature  to  them.  —  violence  and  oppression,  i.e.  riches 
obtained  by  violence  and  oppression.  —  in  their  palaces 
shows  what  class  in  Israel  Amos  meant  to  arraign.     See 

V,   II. 

Jehovah's  purpose,  vv.  11-12.  —  The  prophet,  this 
time  without  referring  to  the  consideration  that  he 
emphasized  ii.  9-1 1  (which  would  have  been  out  of  place 
in  the  presence  of  the  witnesses  summoned),  proceeds 
to  declare  Jehovah's  purpose  concerning  Israel. 

11.  A  foe  :  a  purposely  abrupt  and  startHng  announce- 
ment.^ —  even  round  about  the  land  :  so  that  whichever 
way  the  startled  sinner  may  look  he  will  see  no  hope  of 
escape.*  —  he  shall  strip  thee  of  thy  strength,  lit.  bring 
down  thy  strength,  thy  walls  and  citadel.^  —  thy  palaces 

1  On  the  use  of  the  plural  of  abstract  nouns  to  denote  a  condition  or 
characteristic  finding  frequent  expression,  see  Ges.^^  124,  i,  b.  The  addi- 
tion of  mm  makes  more  clear  the  force  of  the  construction. 

2  Jerome,  following  his  Jewish  teachers,  translates  D'plU^l?  as  a  Pass. 
Part,  calumniam  patiaites. 

3  The  word  "12i  might  also  be  rendered  trouble,  and  it  is  perhaps  most 
frequently  interpreted  as  an  abstract  noun  with  some  such  signification 
(Baur),  but,  if  it  is  thus  rendered,  the  following  verb  Till  is  left  without 
so  natural  a  subject  as  this  word  furnishes.     Compare  the  Septuagint. 

*  The  fact  that  -'2C  is  elsewhere  always  followed  by  7  has  led  to  the 
suggestion  that  it  be  regarded  as  a  substantive  (Ewald),  or  that  the  text  be 
changed  from  ^-^Dl  to  2''2D''  (Baur),  or  HSID''  (Gunning,  Wellhausen). 
The  Peshita  has  a  verb.     For  the  construction  of  1  see  Ges.  154,  n.  b. 

6  For  nmn  Wellhausen  (iT,  V.)  reads  "nm. 


108  AMOS. 

shall  be  plundered :  thus  they  will  be  emptied,  as  they 
were  filled,  by  violence.     See  v.  lo.^ 

12.  Here  follows  one  of  Amos'  characteristic  com- 
pressions. —  two  legs  or  a  bit  of  an  ear :  when  a  lion 
attacked  the  flock  of  David,  the  young  shepherd  was 
able  to  kill  the  beast  and  rescue  the  stolen  lamb  from 
its  jaws  (i  Sam.  xviii.  34  f.).  The  Hebrews  were  not 
always  so  fortunate.  Sometimes  they  came  too  late  to 
save  anything  but  the  veriest  remnant  of  a  sheep  or 
goat,  the  fleshless  ends  of  a  couple  of  its  legs,  or  only  a 
bit  of  one  of  its  ears.  —  the  children  of  Israel :  not  the 
Hebrew  people,  or  even  the  kingdom  of  Israel  as  a 
whole,  but  those  who  in  v.  9  were  described  as  robbers, 
and  are  now  represented  as  voluptuaries.  It  is,  there- 
fore, incorrect  to  find  any  reference  to  the  remnant  to 
whom  Amos  promised  mercy  (ix.  9),  and  whose  fortunes 
Isaiah  (vi.  13)  loved  to  picture  (Baur).  The  idea  is  that 
these  sinners  are  to  be  destroyed  almost  to  a  man.  —  in 
the  corner  of  a  couch  :  the  most  comfortable  part  of  the 
low  settle  running  along  three  sides  of  an  oriental  room, 
and  the  seat  of  honor  (Van  Lennep,  BL  460).  —  in  the 
damask  of  a  divan :  the  silken  stuff  with  which  the 
above-described  settle  was  upholstered,  so  named  for 
Damascus,  where  it  was  manufactured.  Compare  mus- 
lin from  Mosul,  hollands  from  Holland,  etc.  See  i  Kings 
XX.  34.2 

1  On  the  form  IDJ  see  Ges.  67,  R  5. 

2  The  above  seems  the  only  reasonable  interpretation  of  the  passage. 
Like  Pusey  (who  follows  Jerome)  to  insist  on  rendering  pli'^1  Damascus 
is  to  introduce  a  difficulty  for  which  there  is  no  necessity.  Hoffmann 
adopts  the  same  translation,  but  he  begins  a  new  sentence  with  D'Sly^'^» 
and  introduces  a  second  nUSS,  thus  getting :  Ye  who  sit  in  Sa?naria  in 
bed  corners^  and  in  Damascus  in  sofa  l~ccrners\  hdar  me^  etc.     Wellhausen 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  109 

The  last  two  verses  were  a  natural  outbreak  of  the 
divine  wrath,  in  view  of  Israel's  corruption.  The  three 
following  are  a  more  deliberate  and  definite  statement 
of  Jehovah's  purpose. 

A  PROCLAMATION,  vv.  13-15. —  1 3-  Hear  ye:  the 
heathen  nobles  of  Egypt  and  Philistia  were  summoned 
{y.  9)  to  witness  the  guilt  of  Israel.  It  is  natural  to 
expect  them  to  be  heard  in  the  matter.  Perhaps,  there- 
fore, Amos  intended  to  represent  them  as  commissioned 
by  Jehovah  to  declare  to  his  people  the  fate  that  they 
deserved  (Hitzig).  If  this  seems  too  dramatic,  the  sub- 
ject must  be  supposed  to  be  the  same  as  in  v.  9.  Neither 
Israel  (Baur)  nor  the  prophets  (Gunning)  can  well  be 
the  persons  addressed.  —  declare  unto :  formally  and 
solemnly  announce  (Gen.  xliii.  3). — the  house  of  Jacob: 
Jacob  is  used  by  Amos,  as  by  the  other  prophets,  as  the 
equivalent  of  Israel  {pi.  8  f.).  The  house  of  Jacob  might, 
therefore,  denote  either  the  entire  family  of  Jacob  (iii. 
i),  or  only  the  ten  tribes  of  the  northern  kingdom.  Its 
meaning  in  this  passage  is  indicated  by  the  mention  of 
Bethel.  It  is  Israel  in  the  narrower  sense  who  are  to 
be  warned.  Compare  Keil.  —  the  Lord  Jehovah,  the  God 
of  hosts,  is  an  accumulation  of  divine  names,  intended 
to  add  solemnity  to  the  announcement.  See  iv.  13  ;  v. 
16,  27  ;  vi.  14.  The  same  series  is  not  found  elsewhere 
in  the  book  (comp.  v.  16),  or,  indeed,  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. Jeremiah  is  the  only  other  prophet  who  is  given 
to  multiplying  the  names  of  God  in  this  way.  See  Jer. 
xxxii.  18  ;  xliv.  7. 

supposes  one  or  more  words  to  have  been  omitted*  after  ptTbl.  It  is 
equally  unnatural  to  connect  "J1  nUC-  with  'hiV'  instead  of  D'Dtt^n,  and 
translate  with  the  co?-ner  of  a  couch,  etc.  (Gunning).  It  is  Israel  themselves, 
rather  than  their  goods,  who  are  threatened  with  destruction.     See  Baur. 


no  AMOS, 

14.  that,  not  for  (R.V.)  nor  siirely  (Henderson)  — 
when  I  punish  Israel,  as  already  threatened  {vv.  11  f.). 
—  the  altars  of  Bethel:  even  the  one  at  which  the 
people  vainly  imagined  that  they  were  worshiping  Jeho- 
vah (ix.  i).^  These  altars  are  mentioned  because  they 
were  the  center  of  the  false  worship  of  Israel  (i  Kings 
xii.  29;  Am.  vii.  13),  and  especially  sacred  on  account 
of  the  prominence  of  Bethel  in  the  history  of  the  patri- 
archs. There  Abraham  had  built  an  altar  (Gen.  xii.  8), 
and  Jacob  another  (Gen.  xxxv.  7),  and  there  their  pos- 
terity had  ever  since  worshiped  (i  Sam.  x.  3).  The 
destruction  of  the  altars  of  Bethel,  therefore,  meant 
nothing  short  of  the  total  overthow  of  the  religion  of 
Israel.  —  the  horns  of  the  altar  :  not  any  particular  altar, 
as,  e.g.,  that  built  by  Jeroboam  to  the  golden  calf  (Pusey), 
but  any  and  every  altar;  as  one  would  say,  the  altar- 
horns.  These  horns  were  not  mere  ornaments,  but  an 
essential  feature  of  the  altar,  for  without  them  certain 
ceremonies  connected  with  sacrifices  could  not  be  per- 
formed (Lev.  iv.  30).  When  these  were  removed,  there- 
fore, the  altar  would  be  practically  destroyed  and  worship 
rendered  impossible.  Moreover,  with  the  destruction  of 
their  altars  the  last  refuge  of  the  people  would  disap- 
pear (i  Kings  i.  50;  ii.  28).^ 

15.  the  winter  house  together  with  the  summer  house  : 
the  winter  house  was  probably  not  generally  a  struc- 
ture distinct  from  the  summer  house  (Van  Lennep,  BL 
115),  but  a  part  of  the  same  structure.     According  to 

1  It  seems  certain  from  ii.  8,  that  there  were  more  altars  than  one  at 
Bethel,  hence  it  is  not  necessary  with  Oort  {TT,  1880,  142)  to  change 
the  text,  substituting  TOltl  for  mnSTtt. 

2  Wellhausen  (^SVyV.)  rejects  14 <5  as  an  interpolation  that  disturbs  the 
connection. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  Ill 

Thomson  {LB,  II.  250)  the  lower  apartments,  if  there  are 
two  stories,  or  the  interior,  if  there  is  but  one,  are  still 
the  ones  occupied  by  Orientals  in  winter,  while  the  up- 
per or  exterior  rooms  are  preferred  for  summer.  See 
Jud.  iii.  20;  Jcr.  xxxvi.  22.  These  houses  were  of 
course  the  houses  of  the  wealthy,  including,  perhaps, 
the  palace  of  the  king.  They  must,  therefore,  have 
been  in  Samaria.  There  also  were  —  the  houses  of 
ivory,  i.e.  houses  richly  ornamented  with  this  material. 
Ahab  had  such  a  house  (i  Kings  xxii.  39),  and  his  exam- 
ple was  doubtless  imitated  by  those  of  these  later  times 
who  could  afford  them.  See  vi.  4  —  many  houses  shall 
disappear,  the  many  houses  of  which  the  rich  have 
obtained  possession.     Isa.  v.  8  f.  ^ 

2.   The  Depth  of  Israel's  Guilt,  iv. 

The  guilt  of  Israel  is  evident  enough  from  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  but  the  extent  of  it  is  more  apparent 
from  the  one  that  now  follows.  Two  illustrations  are 
given. 

a.  The  Reckless  Sens2tality  of  the  WofneUj  vv.  1-3.  — 
Amos  has  already  accused  the  wealthy  in  Israel  as  a 
class  of  pampering  their  lusts  at  the  expense  of  the 
poor  and  lowly  (ii.  8).  Now  it  appears  that  the  men 
were  instigated  by  the  women  to  such  outrages.  What 
stronger  evidence  of  utter  corruption  could  be  de- 
manded } 

I .  Hear  this  word  :  see  iv.  i ;  v.  i .  —  kine  of  Bashan : 
Bashan  was  the  elevated  region  east  of  the  Sea  of  Gali- 
lee, famous,  like  Carmel,  in  ancient  times  for  its  fertility 

1  The  translation  great  for  many  (Henderson)  would  fit  the  context, 
but  D-^"!  is  not  so  rendered.     See  v.  12.     The  Septuagint  adds  ^repot. 


112  AMOS. 

(Isa.  xxxiii.  9) ;  famous  also  for  the  flocks  and  herds  for 
which  it  furnished  pasturage.  The  Psalmist  (xxii.  12  f.) 
called  his  enemies  d?i//s  of  BashaUy  and  Amos  could 
hardly  have  found  a  better  name  than  cows  of  Bashan 
for  the  wanton  and  wicked  women  of  Samaria.  Were 
they  not  in  their  excesses  a  constant  source  of  terror  to 
the  lowly  and  needy  f^  —  who  oppress  the  lowly,  not  per- 
haps directly,  but  indirectly  through  their  husbands.  — 
their  lords,  their  husbands  (Gen.  xviii.  12),  who  are  only 
too  willing  to  be  the  instruments  of  their  wives'  cruelty.^ 
—  Fetch  for  us  to  drink :  each  wife  thus  addresses  her 
husband,  at  the  same  time  inviting  him  to  the  feast  for 
which  he  is  to  provide  the  materials.  This  is  a  dark 
picture,  but  its  correctness  is  confirmed  by  Isaiah,  who 
is  no  less  severe  than  Amos  against  the  drunkards  of 
Ephraini  (xxviii.  i  ff.). 

2.    by  his  holiness  :  by  his  sacred,  awe-inspiring  per- 

1  Jerome,  following  the  Targum,  interpreted  kine  of  Bashan  as  a  con- 
temptuous characterization  of  the  effeminate  nobility  of  the  northern 
kingdom,  and  his  interpretation  has  been  adopted  by  many  scholars.  It 
finds  some  support  in  the  fact  that  Amos  nowhere  else  addresses  himself 
to  women,  and  in  the  further  consideration  that  he  here  repeatedly  lapses 
into  masculine  forms,  e.g.  d.THK,  WSh^,  DmX.  See  also  ll^ttU?.  Hos. 
X.  1 1  has  been  quoted  as  containing  a  parallel  to  this  supposed  figure.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  is  to  be  noted,  that  the  heifer  in  Hos.  x.  1 1,  is  a  substi- 
tute for  a  female  figure,  that  of  Jehovah's  wife  (ii.  2),  for  Israel,  that  the 
use  of  masculine  for  feminine  forms  is  by  no  means  infrequent  (Ges.  121, 
6,  R  I;  147),  and  that,  on  the  supposition  that  women  are  really 
addressed,  the  passage  is  no  more  abrupt  than  Isa.  iii.  16  ff.  concerning 
the  application  of  which  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Compare  Pusey.  Well- 
hausen  (.ST,  V.)  simply  declares  the  masculine  mistakes  for  the  feminine 
suffixes. 

2  The  word  ta.T'nK  might  be  rendered  their  lord,  viz.  the  king,  and  it 
must  be  so  rendered  and  referred  to  the  king  if  Jerome's  interpretation  be 
adopted. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  113 

sonality  ;  by  himself  (vi.  8  ;  compare  Gen.  xxii.  i6).  —  ye 
shall  be  taken  with  hooks :  the  figure  is  changed.  The 
women  of  Samaria  are  no  longer  fat  cattle,  terrifying 
the  beholder  with  their  fierce  wantonness,  but  helpless 
fishes  at  the  mercy  of  every  angler  (Hab.  i.  14  f.).  This 
last  figure  may  have  been  suggested  by  the  practice 
among  the  Assyrians,  and  perhaps  other  nations,  of  lead- 
ing captives  by  ropes  attached  to  hooks  or  rings  in  the 
under  lip  (Rawlinson,  Ancient  Monarchies,  I.  243).  See 
2  Kings  xix.  28  ;  Isa.  xxxvii.  29.^  —  the  last  of  you,  so 
that  none  will  be  left.^ 

3.  ye  shall  go  forth:  not  as  fugitives  (Hitzig),  but  as 
captives.  Both  figures  have  now  been  abandoned.  — 
through  the  breaches,  made  by  their  besiegers.  These 
breaches  will  be  so  many  that  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  look  for  a  gate.  They  can  be  led  forth  —  each  one 
straight  forward,  from  the  place  where  she  is  captured. 
—  and  be  driven  toward  Harmon :  this  is  probably  a 
correct  translation  of  the  better  text  of  the  original. 
It  is  unsatisfactory,  because,  after  centuries  of  research, 
no  one  has  yet  been  able,  with  any  degree  of  certainty, 
to  identify  Harmon  with  any  known  place  or  country. 
All  that  can  be  asserted  with  any  confidence  is  that,  if 
the  text  is  correct,  Harmon  must  have  been  the  name 

1  iitrj  might  be  either  a  Niphal  or  a  Piel  form,  but  it  is  probably  the 
latter  with  an  indefinite  subject  (Ges.^s  144,  3,  a),  unless  (Wellhausen 
SV,  V.)  it  is  a  mistake  for  IStTJ.  mo:i  (like  mTC),  the  fern,  plur.,  else- 
where always  has  a  different  meaning;  hence,  the  error  of  the  early  trans- 
lators and  commentators  who  rendered  it  shields.  They  translated  mTD 
pots,  though  the  addition  of  HJIl  ought  to  have  prevented  such  a  mistake. 
See  the  Septuagint. 

2  The  translation  your  posterity  (Hitzig)  is  inadmissible,  since  Amos 
plainly  expected  a  complete  and  speedy  destruction  (vii.  17). 


114  AMOS. 

of  a  place  or  country,  and,  if  it  was  either  of  these,  it 
must  have  lain  in  the  direction  of  Assyria  (v.  ly)} 

b.  The  Obstinate  Hypocrisy  of  the  Nation^  vv.  4-13.  — 
In  his  first  complaint  (ii.  6  ff.)  Amos  gave  Israel  credit 
for  being  "very  religious,"  but  he  told  them  distinctly 
enough  that  a  religion  without  justice,  to  say  nothing 
of  mercy,  was  a  delusion.  In  the  following  verses  he 
accuses  them  of  persisting  in  their  error  in  spite  of  the 
chastisements  by  which  Jehovah  had  sought  to  correct 
them. 

1  The  form  !l3n57trn  is,  except  in  one  manuscript,  pointed  as  an  active, 
but  the  difficulty  of  rendering  it  in  this  way  has  led  many,  following  the 
Septuagint  and  other  ancient  versions,  to  translate  it  as  a  passive.  The  H 
at  the  end  is  explained  as  an  addition  occasioned  by  the  influence  of 
i13K!iri.  Compare  Ges.  44,  2,  R  4.  The  amount  of  ingenuity  that  has 
been  expended  on  .llltt^rin  is  something  remarkable.  It  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  proper  names  Armenia  (Jerome)  and  Harmonia  (Movers). 
It  has  been  rendered  by  several  appellatives :  palace,  like  p^'^i^  (Kimchi)  ; 
pride  (Jarchi);  highlands  (Hesselberg);  butcher's  block  (Doderlein);  and 
place  0/  misfortune  (Dahl).  It  has  been  separated  into  two  words;  and 
rendered  mount  Monah  (Theodotion) ;  the  highlands  of  Armenia  for 
''3X2  '^TiT},  see  Jer.  li.  27  (Bochart);  and  to  the  f?iountain  as  a  refuge,  for 
ilDI^D  IHil  (Hitzig).  It  has  been  slightly  changed  and  identified  with 
HermoUj  nSID^nn,  which  is  actually  the  reading  of  one  manuscript 
(Vater);  and  the  idol  Rimmon  or  Rim?)ionah,  rT3iX2"in  (Orelli).  Finally, 
it  has  been  explained  as  a  mistake  for  Hil^n  '^T}T}  (see  the  Septuagint) , 
the  mountain  to  Rimmon,  see  Jud.  xx.  45  (Bottcher),  or  on  the  moun- 
tain (ye  shall  cast)  Ri?n77ionah  (Ewald) ;  p^'^  mn,  Hadad-rimmon,  a 
Syrian  idol  (Baur)  ;  or  1131X31  11.1,  to  Hadadrimmon,  a  place  near  Samaria 
(Steiner).  Of  the  oldest  versions,  the  Vulgate  has  Armenia  ;  the  Targum 
and  the  Peshita,  the  mountains  of  Arnienia ;  but  the  Septuagint,  mount 
Romman  (A,  Remman).  In  view  of  the  variety  of  opinion  that  this 
review  discloses,  it  would  seem  unnecessary  to  add  another  interpretation; 
but  it  seems  strange  that  no  one,  on  the  basis  of  the  rendering  found  in 
the  Septuagint,  has  suggested  pl2l  ,11.1,  to-vard  the  highlands  of  Ramman  ; 
i.e.  Syria.  See  v.  27.  Perhaps  it  were  better,  with  Wellhausen  (^F,  V.), 
to  regard  the  text  as  hopelessly  corrupt. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  115 

FALSE  ZEAL,  vv.  4-5.  —  First  he  ridicules  their  false 
zeal.  4.  Come  to  Bethel :  the  words  are  in  form  a 
summons  or  an  invitation.  If  Amos  ever  actually  used 
them,  he  probably  uttered  them  in  a  tone  that  made  his 
hearers  for  a  moment  think  that  he  was  exhorting  them 
to  repair  to  the  most  sacred  of  all  their  shrines  for  some 
religious  observance.  They  soon  saw  their  mistake ; 
for,  after  a  significant  pause,  he  added,  in  a  tone  whose 
irony  was  perfectly  apparent  —  and  transgress  :  the 
meaning  is  that  the  worship  at  Bethel  is  not  only  of  no 
value,  but  positively  offensive  in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah, 
so  that  those  who  take  part  in  it,  by  so  doing,  transgress 
against  him.  Amos  does  not  give  any  reason  for  this 
implied  assertion,  but  one  can  learn  from  this  passage 
what  was  not,  and  from  others  what  was,  in  his  mind, 
the  principal  cause  of  Jehovah's  displeasure.  He  cer- 
tainly did  not  condemn  the  worship  at  Bethel  because 
Jehovah  was  not  worshiped.  The  tithes  and  offerings 
due  him  seem  to  have  been  paid  with  remarkable  punc- 
tuality. He  condemned  it  principally,  as  appears  from 
ii.  6-9,  on  account  of  the  moral  unfitness  of  the  wor- 
shipers. They  transgressed,  not  in  coming  to  Bethel, 
but  in  coming  as  greedy  and  cruel  sensualists  (Prov.  xxi. 
27).  — to  Gilgal :  the  place,  just  east  of  Jericho,  where 
the  Hebrews  first  encamped  after  crossing  the  Jordan 
(Josh.  iv.  19).  There  they  deposited  the  twelve  stones 
taken  from  the  bed  of  the  Jordan  (iv.  20)  ;  there  they 
revived  the  neglected  rite  of  circumcision  (Josh.  v.  3)  ; 
and  there  they  kept  their  first  passover  in  the  land  of 
promise  (Josh.  v.  10).  After  the  conquest  of  Palestine 
and  the  removal  of  the  ark  to  Shiloh,  Gilgal  remained 
a  favorite  sanctuary  (i  Sam.  x.  8).     There  Samuel  held 


116  AMOS. 

his  court  (i  Sam.  vii.  i6) ;  there  the  people  ratified  the 
choice  of  Saul  as  their  first  king  (i  Sam.  xi.  14)  ;  and 
there  the  king  and  the  prophet  met  for  the  last  time 
(i  Sam.  XV.  10  £f.).  Jeroboam  I.  doubtless  took  advan- 
tage of  the  sanctity  of  the  place  and  made  it  also  help 
to  wean  his  people  from  the  worship  at  Jerusalem  ;  for 
Hosea,  like  Amos,  mentions  it  in  connection  with  Bethel 
(v.  5  ;  Hos.  iv.  15).  The  site  of  Gilgal,  long  unknown, 
was  discovered  in  1865  by  the  rector'  of  the  Austrian 
Hospice  at  Jerusalem.  For  a  description  of  it  see  Con- 
der,  Tent  Work,  II.  7  ff.  —  add  transgression  to  transgres- 
sion, lit.  midtiply  to  transgress,  i.e.  the  more  altars  ye 
visit,  the  more  offensive  to  Jehovah  ye  become.  —  every 
morning,  as  at  the  annual  feast ;  for  the  sacrifices  here 
meant  are  not  regular  daily  sacrifices,  such  as  were  offered 
in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  probably  also  at  Bethel 
(Justi) ;  there  would  be  no  irony  in  such  a  demand ;  but 
the  annual  sacrifices,  to  which  there  are  frequent  refer- 
ences in  the  historical  books  (i  Sam.  i.  3,  7,  21).  Well- 
hausen  {SV,  V.)  suggests  in  the  morning,  i.e.  on  the 
morrow,  after  the  arrival  of  the  worshiper  at  the  sanct- 
uary. The  exhortation  proceeds  in  the  same  tone.  Amos 
urges  Israel  to  bring  their  tithes,  —  every  three  days 
(Wellhausen,  SV,  V.,  after  tJiree  days),  instead  of  every 
year,  as  it  was  doubtless  their  custom  to  do.  The  tithe 
thus  brought  corresponded  to  the  tithe  of  Deuteronomy 
(xiv.  28),  which,  however,  once  in  three  years  was  distrib- 
uted to  the  poor  at  home,  instead  of  being  enjoyed,  as 
this  seems  to  have  been,  at  the  sanctuary.  It  is  probable 
that  in  Israel  this  was  the  only  tithe  ever  required. 
Compare  Deut.  xxvi.  12} 

1  The  translation  every  three  years  (Henderson),  though  defensible  on 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  117 

5.  and  burn  of  leavened  bread  a  thank-offering  :  leav- 
ened bread  was  a  part  of  the  thank-offering  as  described 
in  the  Pentateuch  (Lev.  vii.  13),  but  not  the  part  that 
was  burned  on  the  altar  (Lev.  vii.  14),  for  nothing 
leavened  could  be  thus  offered  to  Jehovah  (Ex.  xxiii.  18). 
If,  as  may  be  supposed,  the  same  regulation  was  usually 
observed  at  Bethel  (compare  Baur),  the  act  suggested 
was  simply  a  display  of  lawless  zeal.  It  is  as  if  Amos 
had  said :  When  ye  bring  your  thank-offering,  burn,  not 
a  part,  but  the  whole  of  it.  See  Duhm,  TP  113. 
Compare  W.  Robertson  Smith,  The  O.  T.  in  the  Jewish 
Church,  341;  also  Wellhausen,  SVy  V}  —  proclaim  free- 
will-offerings :  not  in  the  sense  of  requiring  them  (Keil), 
but  in  the  sense  of  publishing  them,  after  the  self-right- 
eous fashion  of  the  Pharisees  of  later  times  (Matt.  vi.  2 ; 
xxiii.  5),  as  the  next  sentence  clearly  indicates.  See 
Wellhausen,  SV,V. — thus  ye  love  to  do  (Jer.  v.  3-1 1), 
vis.  substitute  the  externals  for  the  essentials  of  religion. 
The  same  tendency  is  condemned  v.  21  ff.,  whence  also 
the  list  of  offerings  presented  at  the  sanctuary  at  Bethel 
may  be  considerably  enlarged.  The  two  passages  taken 
together  show  that  there  was,  at  the  time  of  Amos, 
even  in  the  northern  kingdom,  a  thoroughly  organized 
and  comparatively  elaborate  cultus. 

UNHEEDED  CHASTISEMENTS,  vv.  6-1 1. — The  chastise- 

purely  lexical  grounds  (Jud.  xvii.  10;  2  Chron.  xxi.  19),  must  be  rejected 
as  pointless;  so  also  that  of  Oort  (^TT,  1880,  143  f.),  who  renders  the 
whole  passage  as  follows :  Bring  in  the  morning  your  offerings  and  on 
three  days  {viz.  at  the  time  of  the  three  great  feasts,  which,  he  claims, 
originally  lasted  each  a  single  day)  your  tithes.     See  Gunning. 

1  On  TwSp  see  Ges.  113,  4,  a.  For  f^^nSS  the  Targum  has  the  equivalent 
of  C^n^,  a  reading  which  is  preferred  by  some  commentators  (Dahl). 
Oort  translates  this  word  without  leaven.    Compare  the  Septuagint. 


118  AMOS. 

ments  enumerated  are  five  in  number.  They  are  prob- 
ably not  all  that  Israel  had  suffered.  Perhaps  they 
are  not  mentioned  in  the  order  in  which  they  were 
inflicted.  The  prominent  thought  is  expressed  in  the 
refrain  with  which  the  description  of  each  closes. 
They  were  all  alike  unsuccessful. 

6.  Yet  it  was  I :  there  is  the  same  contrast  here  as 
in  ii.  9,  the  contrast  between  a  living  God  and  a  faithless 
people.  —  nothing  to  eat,  lit.  cleanness  of  teeth  (Prov. 
xiv.  4).  —  in  all  your  cities :  throughout  the  kingdom. 
Famine  had  not  been  an  infrequent  experience  in  Israel 
when  Amos  prophesied.  Two  prolonged  periods  of 
dearth  since  the  rupture  with  Judah  are  mentioned, 
one  of  three  years  under  Ahab  (i  Kings  xvii.  12),  and 
one  of  seven  years  under  Jehoram  (2  Kings  iv.  38 ; 
viii.  i).  The  latter  of  these  was  severe  enough  to 
answer  Amos'  description,  and  perhaps  recent  enough 
to  be  remembered  by  the  oldest  of  his  auditors.  They 
had,  however,  without  doubt  more  recently,  if  not  so 
severely,  suffered  in  the  same  way ;  yet  Jehovah  is 
constrained  to  say,  and  there  is  a  world  of  pathetic 
tenderness  in  the  words,  —  ye  did  not  return  unto  me : 
to  whom  they  still  belonged  and  from  whom  they  might 
have  received  all  that  they  so  sadly  lacked. 

7.  it  was  I  who  withheld  from  you  the  rain :  the 
famine  during  the  reign  of  Ahab  was  caused  by  a  pro- 
longed drought  (i  Kings  xvii.  i),  but  there  must  have 
been  later  ones  that  had  been  the  result  of  other  causes 
(Joel  i.  11).  It  was  proper,  therefore,  to  present  the 
two  as  separate  chastisements.  For  a  fuller  description 
of  the  effects  of  drought  in  Palestine  see  Joel  i.  14  ff. — 
while  yet  there  were  three  months :    harvest,  then  as 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS. 


119 


now,  came  at  different  times  for  different  grains  and 
different  parts  of  the  country.  It  began  with  the  barley 
as  early  as  the  first  of  April  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan, 
but  as  late  as  the  first  of  May  in  some  parts  of  the  hills, 
and  lasted  about  six  weeks.  Three  months  before  har- 
vest would  perhaps  be  about  the  first  of  March  for  the 
climate  of  most  of  Palestine.  At  that  time  the  grain 
would  have  begun  to  grow.  If,  therefore,  the  rain, 
which  might  still  be  expected  to  fall  at  intervals  for 
several  weeks  (Joel  ii.  23),  called  the  latter  rain,  because 
it  was  the  last  of  the  rainy  season,  were  withheld, 
the  crop  would  be  seriously  damaged  if  not  totally 
destroyed.^  —  made  it  rain:  at  intervals,  as  water  was 
required.^  This  is  another  case,  a  second  display  of 
the  power  of  Jehovah  over  nature,  and  a  better  test 
of  that  power  than  the  universal  drought  just  men- 
tioned.—  another  city,  lit.  one  city.  There  may  have 
been  some  reason  in  the  character  of  the  inhabitants 


1  The  following  table  showing  the  average  rainfall  about  Jerusalem  for 
twenty-two  years  (i 860-1 882)  furnishes  a  correct  idea  of  the  duration  and 
character  of  the  rainy  season  in  Palestine  :  — 


Months 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May. 

Rainy  Days 

1.50 

5-31 

9.04 

10.28 

10.43 

8.51 

5-45 

1.59 

Ins.  of  Rain 

0.514 

1.664 

4.718 

5-479 

5.207 

3-531 

1.448 

0.199 

From  this  table  it  is  clear  that  the  early  and  latter  rains  were  not  con- 
fined to  distinct  periods  with  definite  Umits,  but  were,  as  above  suggested, 
simply  the  welcome  showers  with  which  the  rainy  season  gradually  began 
and  ended.  See  Rev.  Edwin  W.  Rice  in  the  Journal  of  the  Exegetical 
Society^  for  June,  1886,  and  for  a  more  complete  description  of  the  climate 
of  Palestine  (more  exactly,  Jerusalem)  Chaplin  in  the  Quarterly  Statement 
of  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund  for  1883,  revised  by  Kersten  for  ZDPV, 
XIV.  93  ff. 

2  The  verb  has  the  force  of  a  frequentative.    Driver,  Hebrew  Tenses,  1 14. 


120  AMOS. 

of  various  cities  and  districts  why  one  should  receive 
rain  and  another  be  denied  it  (Pusey),  but  Amos  does 
not  hint  at  any  such  distinction.  He  simply  refers  a 
phenomenon  still  of  frequent  occurrence  in  Palestine 
(Thqmson,  LB,  II.  340)  to  Jehovah  and  gives  to  it  a 
punitive  significance.  Compare  Jud.  vi.  36  ff.  —  did 
not  make  it  rain,  i.e.  in  effect,  caused  it  not  to  rain.  — 
one  field :  the  same  partiality  that  had  been  noticed 
in  the  cities  appeared  also  in  the  surrounding  country. 

—  whereupon  I  did  not  make  it  rain :  or,  whereupon  it 
did  not  rain.    The  correctness  of  the  text  is  in  dispute.^ 

8.  two  or  three  cities  that  had  been  denied  rain  — 
staggered,  so  weak  were  they  from  thirst  —  to  another 
city,  lit.  one  city,  that  had  been  blessed  with  rain. — 
they  were  not  satisfied,  could  not  get  enough  to  drink, 
because  the  supply  in  this  last  city,  which  was  probably 
stored  in  pools  and  cisterns,  was  not  large  enough  for 
so  many  people. 

9.  I  smote  you,  more  tx2iQ.\\y  yonr fields  ov  yo7cr  crops. 

—  blight  and  decay,  the  singed  and  bleached  condition 
produced  especially  by  the  east  wind  (Gen.  xli.  6)  or 
simoom,  which  has  always  been,  and  still  is,  greatly 
dreaded  by  the  inhabitants  of  Palestine.  See  Robin- 
son, Res.  I.  287;  Van  Lennep,  BL  238.  Sometimes, 
instead  of  the  fields  it  was  the  gardens  and  orchards 
that  suffered ;  or,  when  the  simoom  had  done  its  part, 
another  agent  of  Jehovah  completed  the  work  of  de- 
struction.—  your  many  gardens:  there  is  a  degree  of 
emphasis  on  the  multitude  of  these  gardens  that  makes 

1  The  latter  is  the  translation  favored  by  most  commentators  (Hitzig). 
T'lSDn,  however,  is  probably  an  error  for  "l''tflOi<,  a  reading  that  is  supported 
by  the  Septuagint  and  other  versions.     See  Ges.^^  144,  2,  R. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  121 

the  words  nearly  equivalent  to  many  as  were  your  gar- 
dens, with  a  pronoun  supplied  as  the  object  of  the  verb.^ 
—  the  locust,  lit.  the  devourer.  The  ravages  of  the  locust 
have  often  been  described  by  oriental  travelers  (Thom- 
son, LB,  II.  295  ff . ;  Van  Lennep,  BL  313),  but  never 
by  any  one  more  graphically  than  by  the  prophet  Joel, 
who  himself  seems  to  have  witnessed  such  a  visitation 
(i.  4  ff. ;  ii.  I  ff.).  Israel  had  doubtless  more  than  once 
suffered. — but  ye  did  not  return  unto  me,  saith  Jehovah : 
Hag.  ii.  17  is  partly  copied  from  this  verse. 

10.  the  pestilence,  after  the  manner  of  Egypt:  lit- 
erally translated,  the  last  words  read  in  the  way  of 
Egypt.  Hence  they  have  been  interpreted  as  meaning 
on  the  way  to  Egypt  (Jarchi),  or  by  way  of  Egypt  (Dahl), 
but  most  exegetes  prefer  the  rendering  above  given  and 
find  in  them  either  a  description  of  the  pestilence  as 
peculiarly  Egyptian,  or  a  reference  to  the  plague  by 
which  Jehovah  destroyed,  first  the  cattle  (Ex.  ix.  3),  and 
then  the  people,  of  Egypt  (Ex.  xii.  29).  See  Isa.  x.  24, 
26.  The  pestilence  was  regarded  by  the  Hebrews  as 
one  of  the  most  dreadful  instrumentalities  by  which  sin 
was  punished  (Lev.  xxvi.  25  ;  2  Sam.  xxiv.  15).  —  I  slew, 
i.e.  caused  to  be  slain  in  war.  —  with  your  captured 
horses  :  with  the  captivity  of  your  horses  would  be  more 

1  The  translation  many  of  your  gardens,  i.e.  a,  instead  of  the,  multitude 
of  your  gardens,  though  grammatically  admissible,  does  not  do  justice  to 
the  greedy  instincts  of  the  locust.  Much,  modifying  the  preceding  (Hen- 
derson), or  ofte7i,  qualifying  the  following  verb  (Orelli),  on  the  other  hand, 
is  an  inadmissible  translation,  since  it  ignores  the  distinction  between 
the  two  forms  of  the  Infinitive.  Compare  the  Septuagint.  Very  attrac- 
tive is  the  emendation  suggested  by  Wellhausen  {^SV,  V.),  who  proposes 
to  change  H'^iin  to  ^riS'^nn,  and  translate,  I  laid  waste  your  gardens  and 
vineyards,  your  fig  and  olive  trees  the  locust  devoured,  etc. 


122  AMOS. 

literal,  but  it  would  be  ambiguous.  The  meaning  is 
not  that,  in  addition  to  the  slaughter  of  the  youths,  the 
horses  were  captured  (Orelli),  but  that  in  addition  to  the 
youths  the  horses  captured  were  also  slaughtered,  as 
they  seem  to  have  been  by  Hazael  (2  Kings  xiii.  7).^  — 
your  camp,  after  defeat  in  battle  (Isa.  xxxiv.  3).  —  into 
your  very  noses :  this  stench  would  cause  a  pestilence, 
but  Amos  does  not  mean  to  suggest  any  connection 
between  it  and  the  plague  previously  mentioned.  In 
his  eyes  the  two  were  distinct  inflictions  to  be  referred 
directly  to  Jehovah.     See  vv.  6  f. 

II.  This  verse  is  not  a  summary  of  the  results  of  all 
the  foregoing  chastisements  (Baur),  or  of  the  Syrian 
wars  already  mentioned  (Keil),  but  a  distinct  member  of 
the  series  which  it  closes.  —  I  overthrew,  then,  can  hardly 
refer  to  anything  but  an  earthquake ;  not  necessarily 
the  one  mentioned  in  i.  i,  but  any  similar  catastrophe  by 
which  Israel  had  been  visited. — some  of  you,  not  as 
individuals,  else  there  would  have  been  no  fitness  in  the 
comparison  with  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  but  as  cities  and 
communities.  —  as  God  overthrew  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  : 
this  is  a  favorite  illustration  with  Hebrew  writers.  It 
is  used,  however  (Deut.  xxix.  22 ;  Isa.  i.  7;^  xiii.  19;  Jer. 
xlix.  18;  1.  40),  not  to  describe  the  manner  so  much  as 
the  degree  of  a  threatened  calamity.  Amos,  therefore, 
in  this  case,  intends  to  say  that  some  of  the  cities  of 
Israel  had  been  as  completely  desolated  as  were  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah  after  the  storm  of  divine  wrath  had 
swept  over  them  (Gen.  xix.  25).^  —  and  ye,   i.e.  those 

1  If  ''itl?  be  taken  in  this  concrete  sense,  there  is  no  need  of  supposing 
it  to  be  a  mistake  for  ''iSt  (Graetz)  or  ''31^  (Hoffmann). 

2  In  this  passage,  for  D'^'IT  read  OnO  with  Ewald,  Cheyne,  and  others. 

3  On  the  construction  of  DlDTlK,  see  Ges.^s  115,  i,  R  3. 


\ 


TRANSLA  TION  AND   COMMENTS.  123 

who  were  spared  by  this,  if  not  the  last,  the  most  dread- 
ful of  the  calamities  enumerated,  after  some  had  per- 
ished. —  a  brand  snatched  from  the  blaze :  they  were 
rescued,  when  hopeless,  as  by  a  miracle  (Zech.  iii.  2  ; 
Isa.  i.  9).  Even  after  having  thus  been  brought  face  to 
face  with  utter  destruction  Israel  did  not  repent.  —  ye 
did  not  return  unto  me,  saith  Jehovah,  for  the  fifth  and 
last  time.  Then  suddenly  the  tone  of  the  prophecy 
changes. 

BEFORE  JEHOVAH,  vv.  1 2-1 3.  —  Thc  paticncc  of  Jeho- 
vah is  exhausted. 

12.  Therefore:  because  they  have  failed  to  profit  by 
the  chastisements  intended  to  restore  them  to  his  favor. 
—  thus  points,  not  backward,  threatening  the  whole 
nation  with  the  fate  of  the  women  {yv.  2  f.),  but  forward 
to  a  sentence  to  be  pronounced.  Since,  however,  this 
sentence  is  not  actually  pronounced,  the  word  suggests 
an  indescribable  penalty.^  —  unto  thee:  the  use  of  the 
singular  instead  of  the  plural  in  this  passage  has  the 
effect  of  isolating  the  sinners  in  Israel  and  bringing 
them  individually  into  the  presence  of  Jehovah.  —  this, 
that  which  was  just  threatened  but  not  revealed.  —  pre- 
pare to  meet  thy  God  :  this  is  not  an  exhortation  to 
repentance  (Justi).  Jehovah  no  longer  expects  Israel 
to  repent.  Have  they  not  ignored  the  several  chastise- 
ments .'*  It  is  rather  a  challenge,  meaning,  Ye  have 
resisted  my  love  and  mercy ;  now  prepare  to  endure  my 
anger.  The  following  verse  makes  this  challenge  seem 
little  short  of  mockery. 

13.  But,   remember! — who   formeth   mountains,    by 

1  Compare  the  use  of  n3  in  the  expression,  God  do  so  to  me,  etc. 
(i  Kings  ii.  2t;). 


124  AMOS. 

whose  power  the  visible  world,  with  all  its  grandeur, 
exists  (Ps.  civ.  8).  —  createth  the  wind,  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  unseen  but  mighty  forces  of  nature.^  —  telleth 
man  what  is  his  thought  :  since  the  greatness  of 
Jehovah  is  evidently  the  idea  to  be  made  prominent,  it 
is  best  to  interpret  his  thought  as  the  thought,  not  of 
Jehovah  (Dahl),  but  of  man,  the  secret  purpose  hidden 
from  human  sight.  This,  while  it  is  hardly  formed, 
Jehovah  sees  and  reveals  to  his  startled  creature.^  See 
Ps.  cxxxix.  2.  The  three  statements  already  quoted 
form  a  series  complete  in  themselves  describing  the 
power  of  Jehovah.  The  two  remaining,  which  also 
belong  together,  seem  intended  to  describe  the  same 
dread  Being  as  he  comes  to  punish  Israel.  If  this  be 
the  case  —  who  maketh  dawn  darkness  is  to  be  explained 
as  referring,  not  to  the  gradual  change  from  day  to 
night  (Gunning),  or  vice  versa  (Orelli),  but  to  the  sudden 
darkening  of  the  heavens  at  the  approach  of  Jehovah  in 
a  storm  (Ps.  xviii.  9).^  —  walketh  on  the  heights  of  the 
earth,  in  the  clouds  by  which  he  is  enveloped  (Ps.  xviii. 
10 f. ;  Mic.  i.  3).^ — Jehovah  the  God  of  hosts:  see  iii.  13.^ 

1  The  translation  spirit  (Orelli)  has  less  to  recommend  it  than  the  one 
given. 

2  The  versions  vary  so  widely  from  the  text,  and  from  one  another,  that 
they  ought  to  be  quoted.  The  Septuagint  for  what  is  his  thought  has  his 
Messiah,  the  Targum  what  are  his  works,  the  Peshita  how  great  is  his 
glory,  and  the  Vulgate  his  declaration.  Stranger  than  any  of  these  is  the 
rendering  that  Hoffmann  has  suggested,  who  poureth  the  waters  of  Sihor 
{the  Nile)  over  the  ground,  i.e.  ^T\^  'D  n^n^b  n^Jl!2. 

*  The  reading  HS'^UI  "IHtt^,  found  in  many  manuscripts,  and  reproduced 
in  the  Septuagint,  is  but  an  attempt  to  harmonize  this  passage  with  v.  8. 
The  hypothesis  that  there  is  here  a  case  of  asyndeton  (Keil)  is  another 
attempt  in  the  same  direction. 

4  On  the  form  'nX:S  see  Ges.  87,  5,  R  i ;   95,  R  2. 

^  On  the  genuineness  of  this  passage  see  Introductory  Studies  III. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  125 

3.    The  Unwilling  Severity  of  Jehovah,  v.-vi. 

The  last  chapter  closed  with  a  vision  of  Jehovah  com- 
ing in  his  might  in  the  clouds  to  avenge  himself  upon 
his  guilty  people.  The  whole  tone  of  the  prophecy  is 
now  suddenly  changed,  and  the  last  division  of  this  part 
of  the  book  presents 

a.  A  Possibility  of  Mercy y  vv.  1-6.  —  This  is  sug- 
gested by  the  tenderness  of 

A  LAMENT,  VV.  1-3,  in  which  the  overthrow  of  Israel, 
though  still  delayed,  is  represented  as  completed. 

1.  Hear  this  word:  see  iii.  i;  iv.  i.  —  a  lament,  a 
plaintive  composition,  such  as  was  sung  over  the  dead 
(2  Sam.  i.  17)  or  on  the  occasion  of  any  calamity  (Eze. 
xix.  i).  The  book  of  Lamentations  is  a  series  of  such 
compositions.  This  one  has  the  proper  form  of  elegiac 
poetry  in  Hebrew,  being  composed  of  (poetical)  verses 
in  each  of  which  a  long  line  is  followed  by  a  short  one 
(BuddQ,ZAW,  1882,  I  ff.). 

2.  Fallen,  not  literally,  but  to  the  prophet's  vision.^ 
—  virgin  Israel :  maid  Israel  would  perhaps  be  a  better 
translation,  since  there  is  no  hint  of  such  a  doctrine  as 
the  inviolability  of  Israel  (Keil)  to  be  found  in  the 
expression.  The  nation  is  simply  personified  as  a 
young  woman  sorely  wounded,  by  what  means  or  under 
what  circumstances  it  does  not  appear,  and  left  to  die 
forgotten  where  she  has  fallen.  The  original  applica- 
tion of  the  name  Israel  is  ignored.^ 

1  It  would  seem  impossible  for  anybody  to  mistake  the  meaning  of  the 
Perfect  in  this  case,  yet  Oort  (  TT,  1880,  118)  takes  it  literally  and  on  the 
basis  of  this  interpretation,  since,  of  course,  Israel  had  not  been  over- 
thrown in  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  II.,  rejects  the  first  three  verses  of  this 
chapter  as  an  interpolation. 

2  The  word  daughter  is  more  frequent  than  virgin  in  personifications 


126  AMOS, 

3.  The  city  that  goeth  forth,  to  war. 

This  lament  in  itself  indicates  that  though  they  have 
grievously  sinned  against  Jehovah,  there  is  still  mercy 
for  Israel.     Restoration  to  favor  is  distinctly  offered  in 

AN  EXHORTATION,  vv.  4-6,  iuto  which  the  prophet  now 
passes. 

4.  But  this  dreadful  doom  may  be  averted.  —  Seek 
me,  says  Jehovah.  What  is  meant  by  seeking  Jehovah 
becomes  clearer  as  the  prophet  proceeds.  He  is  cer- 
tainly not  to  be  sought  at  Bethel  or  any  of  the  other 
shrines  to  which  Israel  were  devoted  {v.  5),  but  m  right- 
eous conduct,  especially  toward  the  lowly  and  unfortu- 
nate {yv.  14,  24).  — and  live,  escape  present  danger  and 
enjoy  future  prosperity. 

5.  seek  not,  with  the  hope  of  saving  yourselves  by 
even  the  most  zealous  observance  of  rites  and  cere- 
monies.^—  Beersheba,  another  very  ancient  sanctuary. 
It  is  first  mentioned  (proleptically)  in  connection  with 
the  expulsion  of  Hagar  (Gen.  xxi.  14).  It  is  said  to 
have  received  its  name  from  the  well  dug  there  by 
Abraham  (Gen.  xxi.  31 ;  compare  xxvi.  33).  This  patri- 
arch also  built  there  the  altar  to  Jehovah  (Gen,  xxi.  33), 
afterward  restored  by  Isaac  (Gen.  xxvi.  25)  and  Jacob 
(Gen.  xlvi.    i),  to  which  the  place  owed  its  sanctity. 

(Isa.  X.  32;  Jer.  xlvi.  24;  Isa.  xlvii.  i).  Sometimes  the  two  occur  together 
(Isa.  xxxvii.  22;  Jer.  xlvi.  ii ;  Jer.  xiv.  17).  The  word  virgin  alone  is  never 
used  with  any  other  name  than  Israel,  and  Israel  is  never  preceded  by 
daughter  in  this  sense,  either  alone  or  with  virgin.  Moreover,  Jeremiah  is 
the  only  other  sacred  author  who  uses  (three  times)  the  expression  here 
employed.     On  the  construction  see  Ges.  116,  5. 

1  The  tone  is  here  deprecatory  as  indicated  by  the  negative  7K,  but  in 
the  following  two  sentences  K7  denotes  that  it  is  prohibitory.  See  Ges. 
152,  I. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  127 

At  the  time  when  Amos  prophesied  it  seems  to  have 
had  an  established  worship  as  corrupt  as  it  was  popular. 
Beersheba  was  repeopled  after  the  captivity  (Neh.  xi. 
27)  and  continued  into  the  Middle  Ages  a  place  of 
importance.  It  lay  about  thirty  miles  south-west  of 
Hebron,  on  the  road  to  Egypt,  where  its  ruins  may 
still  be  seen  near  two  wells  from  which  the  Arabs  of 
the  neiGfhborhood  water  their  flocks  and  herds.  See 
Palmer,  Desert  of  the  Exodus,  328  ff.  —  Gilgal  shall  go 
into  galling  captivity :  this  is  not  a  literal  translation, 
but  it  is  as  nearly  literal  as  one  can  make  it,  and  still 
retain  a  hint  of  the  play  upon  the  name  Gilgal  in  which 
the  prophet  indulges.  The  meaning  of  the  statement 
is  obvious,  viz.  that  Gilgal,  now  so  dear  to  Israel,  will 
be  stripped  of  its  people  and  its  importance  in  the  gen- 
eral devastation  of  the  country.^  —  Beth-el,  i.e.  the  house 
of  God.  —  [Beth-]  awen,  i.e.  the  house  of  nothingness. 
This  new  name  was,  it  may  be,  a  prophecy  of  the  de- 
struction of  Bethel  in  more  than  one  sense.  There  had, 
at  an  earlier  date,  been  a  Beth-awen  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Bethel  (Josh.  vii.  2;  xviii.  12)  which  seems  to  have 
disappeared  before  the  time  of  Amos.  When,  there- 
fore, the  prophet  called  Bethel  Beth-awen,  he  may  have 
meant  not  only  that  it  would  be  destroyed,  but  that  it 
would  be  destroyed  like  Beth-awen.^ 

1  The  following  are  specimens  of  the  attempts  that  have  been  made  to 
imitate  the  original :  — 

Gilgal — giltig  entgill  es  (Baur) ; 

Gilgal  wird  Galle  weinen  (Ewald) ; 

Die  Rolhtadt  (Gilgal)  rollt  von  dannen  (Orelli). 

2  The  word  fK  means  idolaUy  as  well  as  nothingness.  While,  therefore, 
it  is  not  proper  to  render  it  here  idolatry  or,  supplying  n*S,  house  of  idola- 
try, it  is  probable  that  this  signification  of  the  word  was  present  to  the 


128  AMOS. 

6.  the   house  of  Joseph  :    Joseph  as  the   i.- 
Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  the  most  powerful  tri 
northern  kingdom,  stands  for   Israel   in   the 
sense  (2  Sam.  xix.  21).     Compare  Ephrahn  i 
sense  (Hos.  v.  3). — for  Bethel:  the  religiou 
put  for  the  whole  kingdom.^ 

b.    The  Da7iger  of  Resistance,  vv.  7-17.— 
exhortation  ought  to  have  produced  some  eff  ±  nere 

was,  however,  seemingly  no  sign  of  repentance.  Hence 
the  prophet,  with  something  of  his  former  sternness, 
proceeds  to  show  what  must  be  the  result  of  a  conflict 
with  the  Almighty. 

7.  Those  who :  this  abrupt  arraignment  is  as  full  of 
impatience  and  indignation  as  the  Woe  to  those  who  of 
V.  18  and  vi.  i  ^  —  turn  justice  to  wormwood,  i.e.  instead 
of  rendering  justice,  use  the  forms  of  the  law  in  the 
affliction  of  their  fellows  (Lam.  iii.  19).  See  vi.  12. — 
cast  righteousness  to  the  ground,  substitute  for  it  vio- 
lence and  oppression.^  Compare -t/.  15.  The  connection 
is  now  broken  by  the  introduction  of  a  description  of 
the  power  of  Jehovah,  which  Ewald  inserts  between 
vv.  6  and  7,  while  Duhm  {TP  119)  and  others  reject  it 
as  an  interpolation.     This  sudden  transition,  however, 

mind  of  the  prophet  when  he  chose  it.  Perhaps  the  complete  thought 
might  be  expressed  by  saying,  Bethel,  because  it  already  is  Beth-awen  in 
one  sense  (that  of  the  house  of  idolatry),  shall  become  Beth-awen  in  the 
other  sense  (that  of  the  house  of  nothingness) .  Hosea,  on  the  other  hand, 
though  he  borrows  the  name  from  Amos,  uses  it  with  reference  to  the 
idolatry  practiced  at  Bethel.     Compare  Hoffmann. 

1  A  few  manuscripts  have  7X'1tt'''"n''^T',  instead  of  7'KTl"'iT',  and  this 
reading  is  supported  by  the  Septuagint,  but  it  is  probably  mistaken. 

2  The  article  is  so  strongly  demonstrative  that  it  gives  to  the  participle 
almost  the  force  of  a  vocative.     Ges.  126,  i.  b. 

8  On  the  construction  of  IIT'jn,  see  ii.  7. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  129 

is  SO  well  calculated  to  bring  one  back  to  the  point 
reached  at  the  close  of  the  preceding  chapter,  and  make 
the  sentence  to  be  pronounced  impressive  that,  if  the 
genuineness  of  the  first  six  verses  of  this  chapter  is 
admitted,  that  of  the  three  following,  and  in  their  pres- 
ent arrangement,  can  hardly  be  denied.^  The  connec- 
tion between  vv.  7  and  8ff.  might  be  paraphrased  as 
follows  :  Ye  oppressors^  knoiv  ye  not  that  Jehovah,  whose 
mercy  ye  have  spurned,  is  the  Maker  and  Rider  of  all 
things  {v.  8),  a  mightier  than  the  mightiest  {v.  9)  ? 
There fo7'e  ye  enemies  of  righteousness  (v.  lo)  because 
ye  trample,  etc.     Compare  Pusey. 

8.  the  Pleiades  and  Orion,  two  constellations  by 
synecdoche  for  the  hosts  of  heaven,  the  most  striking 
manifestation  of  the  creative  power  of  God  (Ps.  viii.  4), 
and  thus  for  the  visible  universe  as  a  whole  (compare 
iv.  13).  See  Job  ix.  9;  xxxviii.  31,  the  only  other  pas- 
sages in  which  these  names  are  mentioned.^  —  turneth 
gloom  into  morning  :  out  of  darkness,  not  figurative 
(Keil),  but  literal  (Job  iii.  5),  bringeth  the  light  of  morn- 
ing, and  again,  when  the  day  is  done,  —  darkeneth  day 
into  night :  it  is  the  Governor  of  the  world  who  is  here 
described.  The  same  Power,  however,  who  caused  the 
regular  alternation  of  light  and  darkness,  could  also  pro- 
duce such  sudden  and  dreadful  phenomena  as  eclipses. 
See  viii.  9.^  —  calleth  the  waters  of  the  sea,  and  poureth 

1  Gunning  seeks  to  avoid  the  difficulties  of  the  passage  by  rejecting 
V.  7.     Compare  W.  Robertson  Smith,  PI  2,9^  (• 

2  Hoffmann,  on  the  other  hand,  who  renders  Htt'^D  5/W«j (compare  Delitzsch, 
Hebrew  and  Assyrian,  70),  claims  that  these  stars  are  mentioned  because 
they  were  supposed  to  influence  the  weather,  and  Amos  wished  to  assert 
the  supremacy  of  Jehovah  over  all  such  powers.     Compare  the  Septuagint. 

8  For  T\yh  many  manuscripts  have  Hv'??,  which  is  probably  the  correct 
reading. 


130  AMOS. 

them  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  :  these  words  have  been 
interpreted  as  referring  to  the  rains  (Orelli),  or  the 
streams  (Hitzig),  by  which  the  earth  is  watered ;  but 
there  are  peculiarities  about  them,  e.g.  the  expressions 
call  and  face  of  the  earth,  which  indicate  that  some 
extraordinary  phenomenon,  such  as  a  flood,  perhaps  the 
Noachian  deluge,  is  intended.  If  this  view  is  correct, 
the  three  illustrations  of  the  power  of  Jehovah  form  a 
series,  and  this  last  suggests  the  application  of  the 
thought  that  immediately  follows  ;  Jehovah,  by  whom 
the  world  was  made,  of  whose  will  the  order  and  har- 
mony in  nature  are  an  expression,  and  at  whose  com- 
mand the  forces  in  nature  may  become  as  destructive  as 
they  have  been  beneficent,  —  Jehovah 

9.  causeth  violence  to  burst  upon  the  strong,  as  sud- 
denly as  the  light  breaks  upon  the  sight  when  morning 
dawns.  —  upon  the  stronghold,  or  castle,  in  which  th^ 
rich  and  noble  oppressor  may  have  intrenched  himself. 
See  iii.  11.^ 

10.  They  hate :  the  charge  contained  in  v.  7  is  essen- 
tially repeated.  This  fact  in  itself  is  strong  proof  that 
vv.  8  f.  are  also  the  words  of  Amos.  —  in  the  gate,  the 
place  where  justice  (or  injustice)  was  administered  (Ru. 
iv.  i).  —  one  who  reproveth,  one  who  is  not  afraid  to 
rebuke  evil-doers.  —  one  who  speaketh  uprightly,  ren- 
ders jtist  decisions.2 

11.  Therefore:   see  iii.  11  ;  iv.  12. — ye  trample  upon 

1  Hoffinann,  by  slightly  changing  the  text,  gets  the  following  curious 
translation :  who  causeth  Taurus  (1^  for  1'^)  to  rise  after  Capella  (TU  for 
ly),  and  maketh  Taurus  set  (K^^  for  Ki^J)  after  Vindeiniator,  which,  how- 
ever, is  entirely  arbitrary  and  indefensible. 

2  The  change  of  C^ri  to  CJSri  suggested  by  HoflOmann,  would  only 
obscure  a  naw  perfectly  simple  parallelism. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  131 

the  lowly  :  the  directness  of  this  accusation  is  its  strik- 
ing feature.  Compare  ii.  lO.  What  is  meant  by  tram- 
pling upon  tJie  loivly  is  explained  by  the  next  sentence.^ 
—  take  a  present  of  grain  :  the  context,  especially  vv.  y 
and  12,  indicates  that  it  is  not  cruel  creditors,  such  as 
are  described  Neh.  v.  9  ff.  (Baur),  but  corrupt  judges 
who  are  addressed.  The  peasant  had  to  buy  the  favor 
of  these,  his  natural  protectors,  with  a  share  of  the 
scanty  product  of  his  labor.^ — houses  of  hewn  stone; 
palaces  such  as  those  of  which  Isaiah  (ix.  9)  represents 
them  as  boasting.  —  ye  shall  not  dwell  in  them  :  see 
Deut.  xxviii.  30  ;  compare  Am.  ix.  14. 

12.  persecutors  of  the  guiltless  is  an  indignant  char- 
acterization of  the  unjust  judges  of  Israel,  like  v.  7. 
See  also  ii.  7  ;  iii.  10.  —  takers  of  bribes,  lit.  a  bribe. 
The  bribes  were  given  by  rich  criminals  when  an 
attempt  was  made  to  bring  them  to  justice  for  their 
crimes  against  the  poor.^  —  yea,  the  needy,  those  who 
have  no  means  of  purchasing  their  favor.  —  they  thrust 
aside,  prevent^  from  obtaining  their  rights.  The  third 
person  does  not  imply  contempt  (Keil).  It  simply 
relaxes  the  tension  of  direct  invective.     See  v.  7. 

1  The  form  CrCtl'IS  is  by  Hitzig  derived  from  ITIS  and  rendered  abuse^ 
but  the  more  reasonable  opinion  is  that  it  is  a  derivative  of  D13.  Most 
authorities  explain  it  as  a  Pilel  Infinitive  for  D^CCll,  the  use  of  which  is 
one  of  the  peculiarities  of  Amos'  language.  Compare  pTtt  for  p'^lSttt 
ii.  13;  anna  for  rrntt  vi.  8;  ^1D^  for  ^nCtt  vi.  10 ;  and  '^n^"  for  ^^^T 
vii.  9,  16.  Wellhausen  (5F,  V.),  however,  corrects  the  text  by  dropping 
tr  and  thus  obtaining  a  Kal  Infinitive  with  the  same  meaning. 

2  The  Imperfect  inpn  describes  a  practice.     Compare  Hitzig. 

^  The  word  123  is  generally  rendered  ransom,  and  interpreted  as  the 
price  paid  for  their  lives  by  rich  murderers,  and  accepted  by  the  judges 
contrary  to  Num.  xxxv.  31  (Keil),  but,  since  it  is  also  used  in  the  sense  of 
bribe  (i  Sam.  xii.  3),  and  there  has  thus  far  been  no  mention  of  the 
shedding  of  blood,  it  seems  safer  to  adopt  this  latter  rendering. 


132  AMOS. 

13.  Therefore:  because  the  wicked,  for  the  time  being, 
are  in  power.  —  he  that  is  prudent,  any  one  who  fol- 
lows the  dictates  of  good  judgment.  There  is  nothing 
to  indicate  that  a  contrast  between  such  a  one  and  the 
prophet  (Hitzig)  is  intended.  —  will  keep  silence,  hold 
himself  as  much  as  possible  aloof  from  affairs  and  let 
things  take  their  course,  lest  he  also  come  into  conflict 
with  the  powerful  and  unprincipled  of  his  people.  —  at 
such  a  time,  lit.  at  that  thne^  a  time  not  future  (Gun- 
ning), but  present,  such  a  time  as  that  just  described. — 
an  evil  time,  not  merely  a  time  when  corruption  pre- 
vails (Keil),  but  a  time  when  one  may  well  be  anxious 
for  his  personal  safety.^  After  this  reflection  the 
prophet,  remembering  what  must  be  the  consequences 
of  such  a  state  of  things,  renews  his  exhortation. 

14.  Seek  good  explains  what  was  meant  by  seeking 
Jehovah  v.  4,  which  is  still  more  closely  defined  in 
V.  15.  See  Mic.  vi.  8. — not  evil  :  compare  v.  15. — 
the  God  of  hosts,  in  his  saving  might.  —  as  ye  say : 
here  is  a  distinct  statement  of  what  was  easily  inferred 
from  iv.  4  f.,  viz.  that,  far  as  Israel  had  gone  in  actual 
apostasy  from  Jehovah,  they  still  rendered  him  a  kind 
of  homage  and  supposed  that  they  enjoyed  his  favor. 
The  idea  reappears,  v.  18  and  ix.  7.  They  were  doubt- 
less deceived  by  the  prosperity  to  which  the  vigorous 
policy  of  Jeroboam  had  assisted  them.  Amos  insists 
that  they  are  mistaken ;  that  those  only  can  claim  the 
favor  of  Jehovah  whose  lives  reflect  the  righteousness 
of  their  God.     See  v.  24  ;  Ps.  1.  23. 

1  Gunning  connects  X^"^^  ni7S  as  an  object  with  T2'it'ttn  (Dan.  ix.  13), 
and  renders  the  whole  verse :  Therefore  shall  he  who  understands  this  time 
keep  silence,  for  it  shall  be  an  evil  time. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  133 

15.  Hate  evil,  instead  of  uprightness  (v.  10). — love 
good,  instead  of  mere  ceremonial  (iv.  5).  — establish  jus- 
tice, instead  of  violating  it  {y.  7). — perchance:  griev- 
ously as  Israel  have  sinned  there  is  yet  hope  for  those 
who  repent  (Joel  ii.  14).^  —  a  remnant:  a  repentant  and 
purified  few  from  the  sinful  mass  of  the  house  of 
Joseph.  This  is  the  remnant  whose  preservation  Amos 
himself  finally  prophesies  (ix.  8  f.)  and  whose  future 
the  later  prophets,  especially  Isaiah,  delight  in  describ- 
ing (Mic.  iv.  7;  Isa.  xi.  ii).^ 

16.  Therefore :  the  prophet,  without  waiting  for  a  reply 
to  his  exhortation,  because  he  knows  that  it  will  have 
no  effect,  proceeds  to  describe  the  result  of  neglecting 
it.  Compare  Justi.  —  the  Lord  :  this  arrangement  of 
the  divine  names  is  unique.  Compare  iii.  13. — In  all 
squares,  the  open  spaces,  especially  near  the  gates  (Neh. 
viii.  i),  not  only  in  Samaria  (Hitzig),  but  in  all  the  cities 
and  villages  of  the  land.  —  lamentation,  for  the  dead.  — 
Woe  1  woe!  compare  Jer.  xxii.  18;  Eze.  xxx.  2.  The 
Orientals  are  very  demonstrative  on  such  occasions 
(Matt.  ix.  23).  See  Thomson,  LB,  I.  245  f.  — they  shall 
summon  :  the  subject,  like  that  of  the  preceding  verb, 
is  indefinite.^  —  the  husbandman,  who  is  at  work  in  his 
field.     The  wail  from  his  city  or  village  will  reach  him, 

1  On  pn'  see  Ges.  67,  R  10. 

2  The  translation  the  remnant  (Hitzig)  implies  that  Israel  had  already 
been  brought  to  the  verge  of  annihilation,  which  is  not  the  fact.  Compare 
Wellhausen,  SV,  V.  The  nation  had  never  before  seemed  so  prosperous 
and  powerful  (2  Kings  xiv.  25).  Hence  Oort  {^TT,  1880,  122),  who  also 
inserts  vv.  13  f.  after  v.  20,  is  obliged  to  reject  this  verse  as  a  gloss  added 
after  the  fall  of  Samaria.  On  the  construction  see  Deut.  xxii.  19;  i  Sam. 
iv.  12;  Ges.25  127,  R  3. 

*  Ewald  makes  12K  the  subject  of  IK^p.  So  also  Gunning,  who  insists 
that  the  effect  of  the  wrath  of  Jehovah  upon  the  country  is  here  described. 


134  AMOS. 

and  he  will  join  in  the  general  lamentation.  —  require 
lamentation  :  the  verb  has  to  be  supplied  from  the 
preceding.  — those  skilled  in  wailing,  professional  mourn- 
ers whose  business  it  was  to  attend  funerals.  They 
were  usually  women  (Jer.  ix.  i6),  but  men  also  were 
sometimes  employed  for  the  purpose.^  See  Van  Lennep, 
BL  $86;  Thomson,  LB,  III.  401  ff.2 

17.  the  vineyards,  where,  if  anywhere,  there  would 
naturally  be  mirth  (Jud.  ix.  27).  The  songs  of  the  vin- 
tagers will  suddenly  be  changed  to  —  lamentation  (Isa. 
xvi.  10),  and  the  land  will  become  a  land  of  mourners 
(viii.  8).  —  I  will  pass  through  thy  midst,  as  a  destroyer. 
The  reference  to  the  plague  by  which  the  first-born  of 
the  Egyptians  were  destroyed  (Ex.  xii.  12)  is  unmis- 
takable, but  it  need  not,  therefore,  be  supposed  that 
Amos  here  predicts  just  such  a  visitation.  He  evidently 
expected  Israel  to  be  desolated  by  war.  See  v.  27 ; 
vi.  14. 

c.  So7ne  Perilous  Delusions,  vv.  18-27. — The  rest  of 
this  chapter  deals  with  delusions  like  that  to  which  v.  14 
refers,  delusions  in  consequence  of  which  Israel  were 
able  to  persuade  themselves  that  the  visitation  pre- 
dicted would  be  unjust  if  it  were  possible.  The  prophet 
first  warns  them  of  their  mistake  with  reference  to 

THE  DAY  OF  JEHOVAH,  VV.  1 8-20. —  1 8.  Woe,  more 
forcible  than  a  mere  denial.  —  to  those  who  wish  for, 
represent  as  something  earnestly  desired  and  expected 

1  The  word  here  translated  skilled  is  mascuUne,  as  is  the  word  for 
mourners  (Eccl.  xii.  5). 

2  The  change  in  the  construction  after  IKIp  is  confusing.  One  would 
have  expected  in  the  second  clause  Tli  "'UlT  n£Dtt"7K1,  and  this  is  the  read- 
ing that  would  correspond  to  the  Vulgate  and  the  Peshita,  but  the  Septua- 
gint  confirms  the  correctness  of  the  Masoretic  text.     Compare  Hoffmann. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  135 

(Isa.  V.  19). — the  day  of  Jehovah:  this  is  a  formula  for 
approaching  judgment  frequent  in  the  books  of  the 
prophets.  It  is  a  favorite  with  Joel,  who  uses  it  four 
times  (i.  15;  ii.  i;  iii.  4;  iv.  14)  and  describes  it  in 
such  terms  as,  on  the  supposition  that  he  preceded 
Amos,  would  explain  the  error  that  the  latter  combats ; 
for  according  to  Joel  iv.  11  ff.  the  day  of  Jehovah  is  a 
day  of  destruction  only  for  the  heathen.  —  It  is  dark- 
ness :  the  most  prominent  feature  of  the  day  of  Jeho- 
vah, as  Joel  describes  it,  is  darkness.  It  is  a  day  of 
dark7tess  and  gloom,  a  day  of  cloicd  and  shadow  (ii.  2), 
when  the  sun  shall  be  tnrned  into  darkness  and  the  moon 
into  blood  (iii.  4),  and  the  stars  shall  withdraw  their 
brightness  (iv.  15).  Amos  recalls  this  gloomy  picture 
and  asserts  that  the  day  of  Jehovah  will  be  a  day  of 
darkness,  i.e.  disaster,  for  Israel  as  well  as  their  neigh- 
bors. Moreover,  it  is  inevitable,  as  the  prophet  teaches 
by  a  characteristic  (see  iii.  12)  comparison  in  the  follow- 
ing verse.     Compare  Isa.  xxiv.  18. 

19.  a  lion:  see  iii.  4. — a  bear:  bears  were  once 
quite  common  in  all  parts  of  Palestine  (i  Sam.  xvii.  34; 
2  Kings  ii.  24),  but  they  are  now  found  only  about 
Mount  Hermon,  where  they  often  do  much  damage  to 
orchards  and  sometimes  attack  the  flocks  or  even  human 
beings.  See  Van  Lennep,  BL  259  ff.  ;  Thomson,  LB^ 
II.  520.  —  and,  when,  having  escaped  this  second,  but 
not  necessarily  greater  danger  (compare  Pusey).  —  he 
came  home,  took  refuge  in  his  house.  —  rested  his  hand 
against  the  wall,  as  one  would  naturally  do  when  terri- 
fied and  nearly  exhausted.  —  a  serpent  should  bite  him  : 
there  are  many  varieties  of  snakes  known  in  Palestine, 
some  of  which  (5)  are  poisonous.     (Tristram,  Natural 


136  AMOS. 

History  of  the  Bible,  269  ff.).  The  prophet  probably 
had  in  mind  the  adder  or  the  viper  (Job  xx.  16),  which 
hides  in  the  cracks  and  crevices  of  old  walls,  whence  it 
attacks  any  one  who  disturbs  it.  See  Van  Lennep,  BL 
307  ff. ;  Thomson,  LB,  II.  591.  Such  a  reptile,  though 
not  more  dangerous  than  a  lion  or  a  bear,  might  suc- 
ceed in  that  which  both  of  these  beasts  failed  to  accom- 
plish. The  point  of  the  illustration,  therefore,  is  that 
Israel  have  nothing  but  disasters  to  expect  until  they 
are  destroyed.     See  ix.  i  ff. 

20.  This  verse  is  an  emphatic  repetition  of  the  state- 
ment of  V.  18,  which  the  comparison  was  intended  to 
illustrate,  —  gloomy  without  any  brightness,  absolutely 
hopeless. 

RITES    AND    CEREMONIES,  VV.  21-27. AmOS    nOW   prO- 

ceeds  to  demolish  the  foundation  upon  which  Israel 
based  their  faith  in  the  favor  of  Jehovah,  their  zeal  in 
the  externals  of  religion.  It  was  clear  enough  from 
iv.  4  f .  that  this  was  worse  than  useless,  but  the  passage 
which  now  follows  is  a  more  distinct  and  unmistakable 
declaration  that  Jehovah  desires  obedience  and  not 
sacrifice  (see  Isa.  i.  lo  ff.). 

21.  I  hate,  not  because  they  are  essentially  hateful, 
but  because  they  are  used  to  cloak  the  sins  of  the  wor- 
shiper. —  your  feasts,  such  as  that  of  tabernacles,  which, 
in  the  northern  kingdom,  was  celebrated  on  the  fifteenth 
of  the  eighth  month  (i  Kings  xii.  32).  —  I  take  no  delight 
in,  lit.  /  do,  or  will,  not  smell  {G^n.  viii.  21 ;  Ex.  xxix.  41). 
—  your  festivals,  strictly  the  offerings  presented  on  such 
occasions  (Isa.  i.  13),^  which  are  mentioned  in  the  fol- 
lowing verse. 

1  The  word  H^litl?,  or  ITlity,  the  plural  of  which  is  found  only  in  this 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  137 

22.  burnt-offerings,  beasts  or  birds  that  were  en- 
tirely consumed  on  the  altar  (Lev.  i.  3  ff.),  especially 
on  the  occasion  of  feasts.  —  vegetable  offerings,  offer- 
ings of  flour,  raw  or  cooked,  made  alone  or  in  connection 
with  other  offerings,  that  were  usually  wholly,  or  in 
part,  consumed  on  the  altar  (Lev.  ii.  i  ff.  ;  Num.  xv. 
I  ff.).  —  peace-offering  :  beasts,  parts  of  which,  after 
they  had  been  devoted  to  Jehovah,  were  burned  on  the 
altar,  while  the  rest  was  divided  between  the  priests  and 
the  worshiper  (Lev.  iii.  i  ff.).  See  Isa.  i.  11.  It  was  the 
fat  that  was  burned  to  Jehovah,  hence  the  fitness  of  the 
addition  of  ^ — of  your  fatlings,  i.e.  consisting  of  fatlings. 

23.  Away  from  me,  cease  !  —  noise  :  the  best  of 
music  becomes  mere  noise  when,  for  any  reason,  it 
ceases  to  appeal  to  him  who  hears  it  (vi.  5).  Compare 
Isa.  i.  12.  —  songs  :  the  connection  requires  one  to  sup- 
pose that  psalms  are  intended. — psalteries:  instruments, 
probably  resembling  the  harp,  which  sometimes  had 
as  many  as  ten  strings  (Ps.  xxxiii.  2),  and  were  used 
to  accompany  sacred  (Ps.  Ixxi.  22)  as  well  as  secular 
songs  (Isa.  v.  12).  See  Smith,  BD^  art.  Psaltery;  Riehm, 
HBA,  art.  Mitsik. 

24.  The  prophet  here  interrupts  himself  to  state  once 
more,  but  this  time  only  parenthetically,  the  terms  on 
which  Jehovah's  favor  is  really  to  be  secured.  —  jus- 
tice, not  divine  retribution  (Keil),  but  judicial  fairness 
between  man  and  man.  —  roll,  prevail,  being  cultivated 

passage,  is  oftenest  used  of  the  last  day  of  the  feast  of  the  passover  (Deut. 
xvi.  8)  or  tabernacles  (Lev.  xxiii.  36),  not,  however,  as  is  generally  sup- 
posed, in  the  sense  of  solemn  asse??ibly  (Keil),  but  in  that  of  holiday.  In 
this  case  it  is  clearly  a  synonym  of  Jfl.  See  also  2  Kings  x.  20;  Isa.  i.  13; 
Joel  i.  14. 

1  The  singular  D7*i^  is  not  found  elsewhere. 


138  AMOS. 

with  as  much  zeal  as  is  now  shown  for  mere  ritual.  — 
as  water,  promoting  social  development,  as  vegetable 
life  is  furthered  by  abundant  water.  Compare  v.  7. 
The  beneficial  effects  of  justice  are  suggested  by  the 
term  —  righteousness,  which  sometimes,  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, is  almost  the  equivalent  of  beneficence  (Isa.  xlv. 
8).  —  a  living  stream,  perennial  as  well  as  copious.  In  a 
country  where  most  of  the  streams  became  dry  in  sum- 
mer no  more  effective  figure  could  have  been  employed. 
25.  This  verse  also  belongs  to  the  parenthesis,  being 
an  illustration  of  the  doctrine  taught  in  the  preceding. 
The  passage  is  precisely  analogous  to  that  in  which 
Paul  proves  circumcision  unnecessary  (Rom.  iv.  10  f.). 
The  prophet,  therefore,  says,  in  effect :  Put  not  your 
trust  in  ritual.  It,  without  righteousness,  is  vain.  Have 
ye  not  heard  how  it  was  neglected  while  our  fathers 
wandered  in  the  desert }  —  Did  ye  bring  implies  a  nega- 
tive answer.  See  Wellhausen,  SV,N.  It  has  been 
objected  that  this  interpretation  contradicts  the  Penta- 
teuch. In  reply  to  this  objection  it  is  only  necessary  to 
recall  the  fact  that,  in  the  book  of  Joshua  (v.  5),  it  is 
distinctly  stated  that,  during  the  period  preceding  the 
occupation  of  Canaan,  circumcision  had  been  neglected, 
a  fact  which,  since  only  those  who  were  circumcised 
could  eat  the  passover  (Ex.  xii.  48),  implies  that  this 
feast  was  observed  for  the  first  time  in  many  years  at 
Gilgal  (Josh.  v.  10).  If,  now,  the  passover  was  neg- 
lected, is  it  probable  that  the  less  important  but  more 
burdensome  requirements  of  the  ritual  that  Moses  may 
have  ordained  were  observed  }^  —  me  :    not  emphatic 

1  Most  scholars  agree  in  rendering  the  H  before  D'HiT  as  an  interroga- 
tive, but  some  treat  it  as  an  article  and  thus  obtain  a  statement  that  sacri- 


1 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  139 

(Keil),  as  if  the  neglect  of  Jehovah's  worship  were  con- 
trasted with  the  practice  of  idolatry.  —  sacrifices  :  not 
free-will  offerings,  as  contrasted  with  those  which  were 
required  (Lightfoot),  but  sacrifices  in  general,  as  the 
mention  of  the  —  vegetable  offering  clearly  indicates. 
Under  these  two  heads  are  included  offerings  of  all 
sorts.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  Amos  intends  to 
say,  not  that  offerings  were  entirely  unknown  in  the 
wilderness,  but  that  they  were  generally  (and  neces- 
sarily) discontinued.  See  Jer.  vii.  22.  —  in  the  desert 
forty  years,  i.e.  during  those  forty  years  that  ye  spent 
in  the  desert.  That  the  practice  of  making  offerings  to 
Jehovah  existed  before  the  Exodus  and  was  resumed 
after  the  conquest  of  Canaan  seems  clearly  to  be  implied. 
26.  This  verse  is  related  to  vv.  23  f.  just  as  v.  15  is 
to  vv.  12  and  14.  Verse  24,  like  v.  14,  is,  as  has  already 
been  explained,  an  exhortation  interjected  into  a  denun- 
ciation, a  last  offer  of  mercy,  which,  however,  Amos 
does  not  expect  to  see  accepted.  He,  therefore,  just  as 
he  did  in  v.  15,  without  waiting  for  Israel  to  put  their 
rejection  of  this  overture  into  words,  proceeds  to  declare 
the  penalty  of  their  obstinacy.  In  order,  then,  to  get 
the  force  of  this  verse,  one  must,  for  the  time  being, 
ignore  vv.  24  f.  and  read  it  as  a  sort  of  apodosis  to  vv. 
21-23,  thus:  I  hate  your  feasts  with  all  their  ceremo- 
nies ;  therefore  take  the  idols  in  whose  service  ye  have 
learned  your  notions  of  religion  and  go  into  captivity.^ 

fices  of  some  sort  were  actually  offered  in  the  desert  (Dahl).  The  same 
result  is  reached  by  those  who,  though  they  regard  H  as  an  interrogative, 
insist  that  an  affirmative  answer  is  expected  (Vaihinger).  In  both  cases 
V.  25  must  be  too  closely  connected  with  v.  26. 

^  The  1  prefixed  to  DriKCJ  is  ambiguous,  since  the  accent,  without  its  in- 
fluence, must  fall  on  the  last  syllable.     This  fact  has  made  it  possible  to 


140  AMOS. 

—  Sakkuth  is  another  name  for  the  Assyrian  god  Adar, 
i.e.  the  planet  Saturn  (Schrader,  KA  T442  f.  ;  Dehtzsch, 
IVo  Lag  das  Paradies^  215)/  who,  in  2  Kings  xvii.  31,  is 
called  Adrammeleky  i.e.  Adar  is  prince  or  king.  This 
latter  name  explains  the  descriptive  title  —  your  king 
(Schrader,  KA  T  284).  —  Kewan  is  also  a  name  of  the 
planet  Saturn  (Ass.  Kaiwann),  and  therefore  identified 
with  Sakkuth  (Schrader,  K AT  442y— your  star-god, 
lit.  the  star  of  yotcr  god,  defines  Kewan.^ — your  images 

mistake  the  connection  and  render  the  verb  as  a  Perfect,  describing  a 
practice  of  the  Hebrews  in  the  desert  (Keil),  or  until  the  time  of  Amos 
(Baudissin),  or  as  a  Present,  accusing  the  contemporaries  of  the  prophet 
of  the  same  practice  (Hoffmann).  The  analogy  of  z'.  15  requires  that  1 
be  regarded  as  a  1  consecutive  introducing  a  conclusion  and  DriXtl"3,  by 
virtue  of  its  connection  with  IDH  rendered  as  an  Imperative.  See  Ges. 
Ii6,  6,  c.     Compare  Peters,  Hebraica,  April,  1885. 

1  In  the  Masoretic  text  the  word  is  improperly  pointed.  It  has  also 
been  rendered  as  an  appellative;  most  frequently  by  tent  or  booth  as  if  it 
were  ri3p  (Keil),  but  also  by  stake  (Ewald),  block  (Hitzig),  and  statue . 
(Rosenmiiller).  But  it  seems  plain  from  the  connection  that  a  deity  is 
meant.     Compare  Hoffmann. 

^  The  word  J^S  has  been  less  frequently  misunderstood  than  mDD. 
Thus  the  Septuagint,  in  which  the  latter  is  rendered  by  a-Ktjvi^,  has  a  mis- 
taken or  corrupted  transcription  of  the  former,  viz.  'Fai(f>dv  ('Pe0di') 
which,  in  Acts  vii.  43,  has  become  'Poficpdv  ('FofKpd).  Some  modern 
commentators  have  been  similarly  inconsistent  in  their  treatment  of  these 
words,  and  therefore,  to  preserve  the  parallelism,  have  been  obliged  to 
imitate  the  Septuagint  by  mistranslating  WyD^fl  your  Molech  (Baur),  others, 
following  Jerome,  interpret  |V3  also  as  an  appellative;  frafne  (Ewald), 
column  (Hitzig),  or  statue  (Gesenius). 

8  In  the  Masoretic  text  this  appellative  is  separated  from  f^S  by  QS^Dbst, 
but  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  original  arrangement,  if  the  text  is 
otherwise  correct,  was  either  the  one  here  adopted  or  the  inverted  one 
favored  by  the  Septuagint,  viz.  DS'ttbi  fva  D2^'^'7K  331D,  for  it  is  only  by 
such  a  change  in  the  arrangement  that  the  sentence  can  be  made  intelli- 
gible. Wellhausen  (5F,  V.)  simplifies  the  text  by  dropping  3313  and 
D2''ttT'2£  as  glosses  to  jV2  and  D^^"l7'N  respectively,  and  then  destroys  the 
connection  between  2)i>.  23  and  27  by  dropping  v.  26  entire. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  141 

which  ye  have  made  for  yourselves :  whatever  may  be 
the  exact  meaning  of  the  rest  of  the  verse,  it  is  per- 
fectly plain  that  in  these  words  Amos  accuses  Israel  of 
idolatry  in  addition  to  their  other  sins,  and  that  in  the 
following  verse  he  orders  them  into  captivity  with  the 
idols  to  which  they  are  devoted  (Hos.  iv.  17). 

27.  beyond  Damascus,  to  Assyria,  whence  their  idols 
had  been  imported.  In  Acts  vii.  43,  Stephen,  who  evi- 
dently intended  to  follow  the  Septuagint,  substitutes 
Babylon  for  Damascus. 

d.  The  Hinniliation  of  Israel,  vi.  —  The  only  hope  of 
Israel  was  a  false  hope.  Its  worthlessness  has  been 
exposed.  There  is  therefore  now  nothing  for  them  to 
expect  but  destruction.  In  the  following  chapter  the 
fate  to  which  they  are  doomed  is  contrasted  with  their 
present  seemingly  fortunate  circumstances.     It  is  — 

THE  HEIGHT  OF  LUXURY,  vv.  I -7,  from  which  they  are 
to  fall. 

I.  the  careless,  those  whose  prosperity  has  made 
them  insensible  to  danger  (Isa.  xxxii.  9,  11).  —  in  Zion, 
the  citadel  of  Jerusalem  for  Jerusalem  itself.^ — in  the 
mountain  of  Samaria,  Samaria  on  its  mountain.  See 
iii.  9.  —  the  noted,  lit.  tJie  marked,  i.e.  those  distinguished 
by  their  rank  or  wealth  from  their  fellows ;  the  first  in 
the  nation.  But  this  nation,  the  Hebrew  people,  was  — 
the  first  of  the  nations  (iii.  2).  What  an  honor,  then,  to 
be  reckoned  among  its  nobility !  —  the  house  of  Israel, 
of  both  kingdoms.  —  come,  not  as  teachers  of  foreign 

1  Cornill  {Einleitung)  suspects  the  genuineness  of  |Vi2,  unjustly,  for  its 
retention  in  the  text  is  required  by  the  phrase  these  kingdoms  in  the  next 
verse;  but  any  reference  to  Judah  may  have  been  omitted  from  the 
prophecy  as  originally  delivered. 


142  AMOS. 

customs  (Hoffmann),  but  as  their  judges  and  rulers. 
The  phrase  the  first  of  the  nations  suggests,  not  a  warn- 
ing (Baur),  but  a  flattering  comparison  between  the 
Hebrews  and  their  neighbors.  Are  ye  not,  says  Amos, 
first  among  the  nations  t 

2.  Go  over,  the  Euphrates.  —  Kalneh,  probably  the 
Kalno  of  Isa.  x.  9  and  the  Kanneh  of  Eze.  xxvii.  23, 
was  one  of  the  four  cities  which  at  first  constituted  the 
kingdom  of  Nimrod  (Gen.  x.  10).  It  has  been  (wrongly) 
identified  with  Ctesiphon  on  the  Tigris  (Orelli),  and  with 
Niffer  in  Mesopotamia  (Rawlinson,  in  Smith,  BD).  The 
most  attractive  view  is  that  it  is  the  Kulunu  mentioned 
by  Sargon  among  his  conquests  in  Babylonia.  See 
Delitzsch,  Wo  Lag  das  Paradies,  225.  Wherever  it  was, 
when  Amos  wrote,  it  was,  or  formed  a  part  of,  a  consid- 
erable power.  —  Hamath  the  great,  originally  a  Canaan- 
ite  settlement  (Gen.  x.  18),  was  situated  on  the  Orontes, 
at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  territory  assigned  to 
the  chosen  people  (Num.  xxxiv.  8).  In  fact,  it  was,  for 
a  time,  under  David  and  Solomon,  a  part  of  the  Hebrew 
kingdom  (2  Sam.  viii.  9;  2  Chron.  viii.  4).  Later  it 
became  tributary  to  Assyria,  having  probably  been  sub- 
dued by  Assur-nasir-pal  in  d>'j6  B.C.  In  854  B.C.  its  king, 
Irhulina,  joined  the  great  coalition  against  Assyria,  in 
which  Benhadad  of  Syria  and  Ahab  of  Israel  also  fig- 
ured, and  was  defeated  with  the  rest  by  Shalmaneser  II. 
(Schrader,  KAT  193  ff.).  Hamath  afterwards  fell  away 
from  Assyria,  but  whether  Jeroboam  II.  really  conquered 
it  or  only  extended  his  kingdom  to  its  borders  is  not 
clear.  Compare  2  Kings  xiv.  28  with  Am.  vi.  14;  2 
Kings  xiv.  25.  If  he  conquered  it,  it  did  not  suffer  much 
at  his  hands  or  remain  long  in  subjection,  for  about  741 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  143 

B.C.  it  joined  a  league,  to  which  Judah  also  seems  to  have 
belonged,  to  oppose  Tiglath-pileser  III.  in  his  advance 
toward  the  Mediterranean  (Schrader,  KAT  217  ff.). 
The  forces  of  the  league  were  overthrown  by  the  Assyr- 
ian king,  and  Hamath  was  deprived  of  a  part  of  its 
territory  (nineteen  districts),  but  even  then  it  was  not 
subdued.  It  remained  for  Sargon  in  720  to  complete  its 
subjection  (Schrader,  KAT  323  f.).  When,  therefore, 
Sennacherib  attempted  to  frighten  Hezekiah  into  sub- 
mission (2  Kings  xix.  13),  it  had  been  overthrown,  but 
not  when  Amos  lived  and  prophesied.  Even  then  the 
city  did  not  cease  to  exist.  Indeed,  though  it  has  suf- 
fered various  vicissitudes,  it  is  still,  under  the  name 
Hama,  a  place  of  thirty  thousand  inhabitants  (Smith, 
BD).'^  Gath  of  the  Philistines :  Gath  was  one  of  the 
five  principal  cities  of  Philistia.  Its  site  is  disputed,  but 
whether  it  is  to  be  identified  with  Tell  es-Safieh  (Porter 
in  Smith,  BD)  or  Dikrin  (GviQx'm.,Judh,  II.  108  f.),  it  was 
nearer  to  the  border  of  Judah  than  either  of  the  other 
cities  (i  Sam.  xvii.  52),  and  therefore  the  one  that  would 
naturally  represent  Philistia  to  one  going  dozujt  into  that 
country.  Of  its  existence  when  Amos  wrote,  the  men- 
tion of  it  in  connection  with  Kalneh  and  Hamath  for 
the  purpose  that  Amos  clearly  had  in  mind  is  sufficient 
evidence.  See  i.  8.  Its  capture  and  destruction  by 
Uzziah  (2  Chron.  xxvi.  6)  took  place  at  a  later  date.  — 
Are  they,  Kalneh,  Hamath,  and  Gath. — these  king- 
doms, the  kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel.  A  negative 
answer  is  of  course  expected.^  —  your  border:    the  use 

1  On  the  punctuation  of  HXin,  see  Ges.^^  125,  2,  R  2. 

2  To  supply  an  affirmative  answer  (Knobel)  is  to  force  upon  the  sen- 
tence an  interpretation  that  does  not  fit  the  context.  On  the  other  hand,  to 
follow  the  ancient  versions  and  some  manuscripts,  and  render  the  H  pre- 


144  AMOS, 

of  the  pronoun  yotir  forbids  the  supposition  that  it  is  the 
nobles  of  Israel  by  whom  these  words  are  spoken  (Gun- 
ning). They  would  have  said  otir  border.  The  words  are 
the  words  of  the  prophet,  who  thereby  reminds  Israel 
that  Jehovah  has  given  his  people  a  fairer  country, 
with  wider  borders,  than  either  of  the  neighboring 
nations  could  boast.  Compare  Henderson.^  Having 
thus  shown  how  Jehovah  had  favored  the  Hebrews  as 
a  people,  Amos  now  describes  how  Israel  in  particular 
has  requited  his  goodness. 

3.  postpone,  not  actually  delay  it,  but  refuse  to  be- 
lieve that  it  is  imminent  (ix.  10).  —  the  evil  day,  the 
day  of  Jehovah,  as  the  prophet  described  it  v.  18  ff. 
Meanwhile  they  blindly  —  bring  near,  i.e.  set  up  in  their 
very  midst  ^ — the  seat  of  violence,  a  seat  for  such  as 
practice  violence,  e.g.  unjust  judges.  Thus,  while  scorn- 
ing the  prophet's  warning,  they  so  conduct  themselves 
as  to  hasten  their  own  destruction.^ 

fixed  to  d''i1lD  as  an  article  (Credner) ,  is  to  rob  the  entire  verse  of  any 
meaning  whatever.  The  only  other  translation  that  would  accord  with  the 
context  is:  Are  there  fairer  kingdoms  than  these?  in  which  ///^^^  would 
refer  to  Kalneh,  etc.  The  rest  of  the  verse  would  then  mean  that  fair  as 
these  were,  they  were  not  so  large  as  the  heritage  of  the  Hebrews.  Well- 
hausen  (^F,  V.)  misinterprets  the  intention  of  the  prophet  (or  rather  the 
interpolator)  and  corrects  the  text,  inserting  OriK  after  C^ltOH  and  chang- 
ing DDbn:^  O'^ina  to  D^liJa  DDbn:  to  suit  his  interpretation. 

1  Bickell  (Schrader,  KA  T  445)  gives  four  reasons  for  regarding  this 
verse  as  an  interpolation.  Three  of  them  have  already  been  answered. 
The  first,  and  with  him  perhaps  the  weightiest,  that  the  metre  of  the 
verse  is  different  from  that  of  the  context,  is  based  on  a  theory  of  Hebrew 
poetry  that  still  needs  confirmation.     See  also  Wellhausen,  SV,  V. 

2  On  ptrjm  see  Ges.  p.  126,  n.  2. 

8  The  changes  in  the  text  suggested  by  Hoffmann,  d'''Tl3ttn  for  D''13tt.'1 
and  nStt?  =  ri3^7  for  ridtJ^,  by  means  of  which  he  gets :  Ye  who  daily 
demand  unjust  [tribuie~\  and  every  Sabbath  require  unrighteous  [gain'], 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  145 

4.  ivory  couches,  couches  whose  frames  were  inlaid 
with  ivory.  Such  couches  were  among  the  articles  that 
Sennacherib  boasts  of  having  received  of  Hezekiah 
(Schrader,  KAT  288  ff.).  The  same  style  of  furniture 
is  still  highly  prized  in  the  East. — stretched,  like  for- 
eign voluptuaries.  It  was  the  earlier  custom  to  sit  at 
table  (i  Sam.  xx.  24). — lambs  from  the  flock,  the  dain- 
tiest of  viands  (2  Kings  iii.  4).  —  calves  from  the  midst 
of  the  stall,  like  the  prodigal  son  (Lu.  xv.  23). 

5.  twitter,  or  prattle,  indicates  the  contempt  that 
Amos  felt  for  the  perhaps  really  not  unmusical  songs 
with  which  feasts  were  enlivened  (v.  23). — to  the  note 
of  the  psaltery,  with  which  they  accompany  them- 
selves. —  think,  fondly,  but  falsely,  imagine.^  —  for 
them,  to  handle  as  artists. — as  for  David;  this  com- 
parison implies  that  David  enjoyed  a  great  reputation 
as  a  musician  among  the  Hebrews,  and  this  implication 
is  confirmed  by  various  references  to  his  skill  in  other 
books  (i  Sam.  xvi.  18),  but  it  does  not  imply  that  he  was 
chiefly  famous  as  a  composer  and  performer  of  secular 
music  (Driver, /;//;'^^?/<://^;/,  356;  Wellhausen,  SV,  V.). 

6.  from  basins,  such  as  were  employed  for  sacrificial 
purposes  (Zech.  xiv.  20),  because  they  were  larger  (and 
finer)  than  the  vessels  ordinarily  used  in  drinking  (Isa. 
V.  II,  22).  —  the  first  of  oils,  the  finest  procurable. — 
affliction  of  Joseph,  the  affliction  in  store  for  their  peo- 
ple {y.  3  ;  Is.  V.  \2)? 

only  make  a   tolerably  intelligible  passage  more  difficult.     Compare  Well- 
hausen, SV,  V. 

1  The  rendering  invent,  preferred  by  many  (Keil),  besides  being  gram- 
matically objectionable  (Baur),  fails  to  preserve  the  ironical  tone  of  the 
preceding  statement. 

2  On  the  punctuation  of  "1-^',  see  Ges.^s  93,  R  i,  D. 


146  AMOS. 

7.  at  the  head  of  the  captives  :  being  the  first  of  the 
nations,  and  having  always  treated  themselves  to  the 
first  of  the  delights  of  life,  it  is  but  fitting  that  they 
should  head  the  procession  going  into  captivity.  — 
the  shout  of  banqueters,  the  repulsive  mirth  of  otit- 
stretched  f casters.  —  shall  cease,  and  lamentation  take 
its  place.^ 

THE  DEPTH  OF  MISERY,  vv.  8-14,  threatened  Israel 
is  finally  described  with  painful  vividness. 

8.  by  himself  :  compare  iv.  2.  — I  abhor ,2  what  seems 
to  them  most  precious,  —  the  glory  of  Jacob,  not  the 
true  glory  of  Jacob  (viii.  7),  but  their  boasted  wealth 
and  power  as  appears  from  the  mention  in  the  next 
clause  of  —  his  palaces  :  the  reason  why  their  palaces 
are  hateful  to  Jehovah  is  that  they  are  storehouses  for 
the  spoils  of  oppression  (iii.  10). — give  over,  to  its 
enemies  and  besiegers. — the  city,  Samaria,  the  center 
of  corruption.  —  all  that  is  in  it,  its  people  and  its 
treasures.^ 

9.  if  there  be  left,  untouched  by  the  sword.  —  ten 
men,  who,  because  they  have  escaped  death  in  one 
form,  expect  to  be  preserved.  —  in  one  house,  perhaps 
an  as  yet  unbroken  family.  —  they  shall  die,  shall 
finally  perish. 

10.  And  when,  after  nine  of  the  ten  have  died.  — 
one's  relative  and  burier,  lit.  burner^  i.e.  the  relative 
whose  duty  it  is  to  burn,  not  the  body  of  his  kinsman, 
either  within  (Hitzig)  or  without  the  house  (Keil),  but 

1  The  verb  *1D  was  probably  chosen  for  the  sake  of  the  alliteration  that 
it  produces  with  D^ni"lD  nHtt, 

2  ii<ri^,  an  error  for  iUDtt;  see  v,  II. 

3  Hoffmann  reads  nX17^1  and  her  citadel,  thus  disturbing  the  connec- 
tion with  the  following  verse. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  147 

something,  either  spices,  as  the  English  version  of  Jer. 
xxxiv.  5  suggests,  or,  as  is  still  the  custom  at  the  tombs 
of  saints,  costly  stuffs  (Thomson,  LB,  II.  578)  in  his 
honor  (2  Chron.  xvi.  14 ;  xxi.  19).  The  opposite  view 
is  forbidden  not  only  by  the  fact  that  the  Hebrews, 
except  in  the  case  of  Saul  (i  Sam.  xxxi.  12),  are  not 
known  to  have  burned  the  bodies  of  any  but  criminals 
(Josh.  vii.  25),  and  the  further  fact,  which  seems  to 
have  been  generally  overlooked,  that,  in  a  country  so 
barren  of  timber  as  Palestine,  the  cremation  of  any 
number  of  bodies,  especially  under  such  circumstances 
as  Amos  has  in  mind,  would  not  only  be  difificult,  but 
impossible  (2  Kings  vi.  i  ff.y  —  take  one,  any  one  of 
the  nine  dead.  —  the  bones,  i.e.  the  corpse  (Ex.  xiii.  19). 
—  from  the  house,  for  burial.  —  shall  say:  the  subject 
is  still  the  relative. — to  one,  the  last  of  the  ten,  who 
has  dragged  himself  into  —  the  inmost  of  the  house, 
the  part  usually  assigned  to  the  women  (Ps.  cxxviii,  3), 
to  die.  —  Is  there  yet  any,  who  is  alive.  —  with  thee, 
besides  thee. — he  shall  say,  viz.  the  sole  survivor. — 
none  :  there  is  more  in  this  word  than  the  informa- 
tion desired  by  the  questioner.  It  is  a  cry,  the  last 
broken,  heartrending  utterance  of  a  deserted  soul.  It 
is  this  cry  in  reply  to  which  the  relative  says  :  —  Hush, 
forbidding  any  appeal  for  help  or  sympathy.  —  one  may 
not  make  mention  of  the  name  of  Jehovah,  claim  him  as 
one's  defender  and  deliverer  (Ps.  xx.  8).     He  has  ceased 

1  Since  there  can  be  no  reference  to  cremation,  Hoffmann's  suggestion 
that  the  original  text  read  IB^tt'D  IIIT  1i<ll'j%  attd  his  btvners  shall  rear 
his  funeral  pyre,  is  entirely  gratuitous.  The  only  correction  in  the  text 
for  which  there  is  authority  is  the  change  of  1B"lDti  to  IBItTtt,  which  has 
the  support  of  many  manuscripts.     See  v.  11. 


148  AMOS. 

to  be  our  God,  and  become  our  destroyer.     Compare 
Hitzig.i 

11.  will  command,  his  instruments,  the  enemies  of 
Israel.  See  v.  14.  — the  great  house  :  not  the  kingdom 
of  Israel  (Orelli),  but  the  palace  of  the  noble  (iii.  15).  — 
the  small  house  :  the  modest  dwelling  of  the  poor  man  ; 
for  though  it  is  the  nobles  who  have  chiefly  offended 
Jehovah,  the  other  classes  will  necessarily  suffer  with 
them  when  the  kingdom  is  overthrown.  Perhaps,  how- 
ever, the  prophet  intends  to  indicate  that  the  poor  will 
suffer  less  than  the  rich,  for  he  says  that  the  houses  of 
the  former  will  be  rent  with  —  breaches,  while  those  of 
the  latter  are  beaten  to  atoms.  This  description  of  the 
devastating  effects  of  Jehovah's  anger  suggests  the 
madness  of  neglecting  or  resisting  his  will,  which  is 
the  subject  of  the  next  two  verses. 

12.  on  the  rock,  or  cliff,  where  the  wild  goats  can 
hardly  find  a  footing  (Job  xxxix.  i).  —  the  sea  with  oxen, 
as  one  would  plow  a  field.^  Only  a  lunatic  would  imag- 
ine either  possible,  —  But  ye  have  attempted  something 
equally  mad  in  that  ^  —  ye  have  turned  justice  to  gall, 
in  defiance  of  Jehovah,  who  is  pledged  to  make  sin  the 
ruin  of  the  sinner.  Who  can  contend  with  the  Almighty } 
As  well  try  to  make  a  horse  gallop  over  the  treacherous 
surface  of  the  rocks,  or  to  plow  the  bottomless  sea  with 

iThe  emendation  suggested  by  Oort  (TT,  1880,  138)  would  totally 
destroy  the  beauty  of  this  touching  passage. 

2  The  rendering  given  assumes  that  the  Hebrew  text  is  corrupt,  and  that 
the  correct  reading  is  that  suggested  by  J.  D.  Michaelis,  W  "ipnS  for 
D''"ipSS.  In  favor  of  this  emendation  is  that  thus  the  second  is  made  a 
distinct  illustration,  and  the  use  of  a  very  rare  (Neh.  x.  37;  2  Chron.  iv.  3) 
plural  is  avoided.     See  Ges.^^  p.  382,  n. ;   also  Wellhausen,  SV^  V. 

8  On  but  for  ''^  see  iii.  7. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  149 

oxen  (iv.  12  f.).  — the  fruits  of  righteousness,  the  bene- 
fits of  a  faithful  administration  of  justice. — to  worm- 
wood :  see  v.  7. 

13.  that  which  is  not,  lit.  a  not  thingy  a  thing  that 
has  no  existence  (Deut.  xxxii.  21),  their  boasted  strength. 
—  taken  to  ourselves  horns,  acquired  power  (Jer.  xlviii. 
25).  The  same  figure  is  used  of  Joseph  in  the  blessing 
of  Moses  (Deut.  xxxiii.  17).^ 

14.  For,  as  a  means  of  destroying  you  {y.  11)  in  spite 
of  your  imagined  strength  (y.  13). — I  will  raise  up, 
endow  and  commission.  —  a  nation,  Assyria,  though  in 
this  passage  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  whence  the 
invader  is  to  come.  See  v.  27.  —  the  entrance  to 
Hamath,  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Promised  Land 
and  the  kingdom  of  Israel  (Num.  xxxiv.  8  ;  2  Kings  xiv. 
25).  — the  stream  of  the  Arabah  :  the  supposition  that, 
in  ^.  II  as  well  as  v.  i,  there  is  reference  to  both  of  the 
Hebrew  kingdoms  has  led  to  the  identification  of  this 
stream  with  Wady  el-Arish,  called.  Num.  xxxiv.  5,  the 
stream  of  Egypt  (Wellhausen),  or  even  with  the  Nile 
(Henry).  Others  have  identified  it  with  the  Dead  Sea 
(Dahl),  the  Kedron  (Rosenmiiller),  or  one  of  the  streams 
flowing  into  it  from  the  east.  The  fact  that  in  2  Kings 
xiv.  25  the  sea  of  the  Arabah  is  given  as  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  favors  some  such 
view,  and  since  it  is  hardly  probable  that  the  Dead  Sea 
would  be  called  a  wady,  one  seems  forced  to  look  for  the 

^  A  suggestion  of  Wellhausen  (^SV,  V.)  deserves  mention.  He  pro- 
poses to  read  both  12T  VO  and  D^JIp  as  proper  names,  the  names  of  two 
cities  east  of  the  Jordan,  the  Lo-debar  of  2  Sam.  ix.  4  f.;  xvii.  27,  and  the 
Karnayim  of  i  Mace.  v.  26,  and  Gen.  xiv.  5,  which  he  supposes  Israel  to 
have  taken,  though  his  interpretation  of  v.  15  would  hardly  lead  one  to 
regard  them  as  capable  of  such  an  exploit. 


150  AMOS. 

Stream  of  the  Arabah  among  its  feeders.  A  favorite 
opinion  is  that  it  is  the  so-called  brook  of  the  willows  of 
Isa.  XV.  7,  and  that  both  are  identical  with  Wady  el-Ahsi, 
the  ancient  boundary  between  Moab  and  Edom,  which 
flows  into  the  southern  end  of  the  Dead  Sea  (Gunning).^ 
This  opinion,  however,  is  based  upon  the  assumption 
that  Moab  had  been  reduced  to  subjection  by  Jeroboam 
II.,  an  assumption  that  remains  to  be  proved.  See  ii.  i. 
It  cannot,  therefore,  be  regarded  as  satisfactory.  It  is 
safer,  for  the  present,  interpreting  2  Kings  xiv.  25,  as 
one  naturally  would,  to  mean  that  Jeroboam  II.  extended 
his  kingdom  as  far  as  the  Dead  Sea,  or,  at  the  farthest, 
no  farther  than  Deut.  iii.  16  f.  would  permit  one  to 
assert,  to  adopt  the  view  that  the  stream  of  the  Arabah 
was  one  of  the  streams  flowing  into  the  northern  end  of 
the  Dead  Sea,  which  was  at  that  time  the  boundary 
between  Israel  and  Moab.     See  Hoffmann. 

III. 

ISRAEL'S  FATE  ILLUSTRATED  (vii.-ix.). 

It  would  seem  almost  impossible  to  bring  before  the 
mind  more  vividly  than  has  been  done  in  the  preceding 
chapters  the  disastrous  consequences  to  Israel  of  their 
desertion  from  Jehovah.  Yet  that  is  precisely  what 
Amos  attempted  in  this  last  part  of  his  book.  The 
means  which  he  adopted  was  well  adapted  to  his  pur- 
pose, for  his  visions  are  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
pictures,  quite  as  real  to  an  oriental  as  if  they  appealed 
to  his  sight  instead  of  his  imagination ;  and  pictures 
will  interest  when  the  truths  that  they  teach,  if  other- 

1  The  D''S*ll?n  of  Isa.  xv.  7  is  supposed  to  be  a  mistake  for  nS^UH. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  151 

wise  presented,  would  get  no  attention.  The  success 
of  the  method  in  this  case  appears  from  the  fact  that, 
while  Amos  seems  to  have  been  undisturbed  in  his  pre- 
vious utterances,  the  priest  Amasiah  became  alarmed 
and  undertook  to  silence  him  as  soon  as  he  began  his 
illustrated  sermons.  The  first  three  visions  form  a 
series  illustrating 

1.   Justice  the  Avenger  of  Mercy  (vii.), 

of  which  the  historical  incident  introducing  Amasiah 
gives  an  opportunity  for  a  personal  application. 

a.    The  Visions  and  their  Interpretations ^  vv.  1-9. 

THE  LOCUSTS,  VV.  1-3.  They  are  made,  but  merci- 
fully destroyed.  —  i.  the  Lord  Jehovah  showed  me:  the 
prophet  uses  terms  that  might  be  interpreted  literally 
to  mean  ^lat  there  had  been  revealed  to  his  external 
eye  su9hj|fc|^ht  a§  he  describes,  yet  no  one  would  think 
of  suppo^nffthat  such  had  been  the  case.  It  is  not 
even  necessary  to  maintain  that  the  picture  that  he  saw 
with  his  i7iner  eye  was  anything  more  than  the  effect 
upon  his  imagination  of  a  truth  to  which  he  had  attained 
by  the  aid  of  the  divine  Spirit.  The  human  side  of 
these  visions  is  most  apparent  in  the  fourth,  the  paro- 
nomasia in  which  is  hardly  worthy  of  a  strictly  divine 
origin.  —  he  formed:  the  s^ject  is  Jehovah;  the  verb 
is  chosen  for  its  picturesqueness.  See  Gen.  ii.  '/}  — 
locusts,  not  figurative  (Henderson),  but  literal  locusts. 
In  iv.  9  Amos  represents  these  insects  as  mercifully 
sent  by  Jehovah  to  be  the  means  of  bringing  Israel  back 

^  The  ancient  versions,  excepting  the  Vulgate,  agree  in  rendering  this 
passage  as  if  the  text  had  "ISi."!  instead  of  "^2^1^,  and  some  commentators 
(Baur) ,  feeling  the  want  of  a  subject  after  Hin,  prefer  this  reading. 


152  AMOS. 

to  him.  In  the  present  passage  the  mercy  of  Jehovah 
appears,  not  in  sending  the  locusts,  but  in  withdrawing 
them  before  they  had  utterly  destroyed  the  vegetation 
of  the  country.  It  is  the  same  plague  viewed  from  two 
slightly  different  standpoints,  from  the  first  of  which 
appears  the  active,  from  the  second  the  passive  side  of 
the  divine  mercy.  —  the  aftergrowth,  the  last  fresh 
grass  that  started  in  the  spring  under  the  influence  of 
the  so-called  latter  rains.  The  date  is  more  exactly 
given  in  the  words  following.  —  it  was  the  aftergrowth  ^ 
after  the  king^s  shearing  :  whether  the  king's  sheep 
were  sheared  before,  after,  or  at  the  same  time  with 
those  of  his  subjects  is  not  known.  It  is  probable  that 
others  waited  for  the  royal  shepherds  to  decide  when 
sheep  should  be  shorn,  and  that  therefore  the  kings 
shearing  was  practically  the  shearing  season.  In  any 
case  it  was  late  in  the  spring,  whfti  rain  had  nearly 
ceased  to  fall,  and  when  the  ravages  of  the  locusts  would 
be  most  disastrous,  since,  if  the  crops  were  then  injured, 
they  could  not  recover.^ 

2.  when  they  would  have  wholly  devoured,  when  they 
had   already  begun   their  ravages  and  it  seemed  as  if 

1  Hoffmann,  on  the  authority  of  the  Septuagint,  changes  this  second 
tt?pb  to  pT,  another  name  for  the  harvest,  but  the  Septuagint  has  so  many 
evident  errors  in  this  passage  that  it  cannot  safely  be  trusted  with  refer- 
ence to  any  part  of  it.     See  W^ellhausen,  SV,  V. 

2  The  word  ''W  is  more  commonly  rendered  mowings,  but  there  are  good 
reasons  for  rejecting  this  translation  as  mistaken.  In  the  first  place,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  in  two  cases  (Deut.  xviii.  4;  Job  xxxi.  20),  the  singular 
TciQdinsJleece,  wool,  and,  in  the  only  other  case  in  which  it  occurs  (Ps.  Ixxii.  6), 
the  same  rendering  would  be  an  improvement  upon  hay  or  fueadow ;  for, 
in  the  second  place,  hay,  as  such,  is,  and  probably  always  has  been,  a  thing 
unknown  in  Palestine.  See  Burckhardt,  Travels  in  Syria,  246.  Compare 
Wellhausen,  SV,  V. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS,  153 

they  were  going  to  make  complete  havoc  of^  —  the 
herbage  of  the  land,  including  the  springing  grass  (Ex. 
X.  12,  15);  compare  Keil.  —  forgive,  the  sins  to  punish 
which  the  locusts  were  sent.  —  How  shall  Jacob  stand  ? 
ivho  is  Jacob  that  he  should  standi  or  survive  so  severe 
punishment.2  —  he  is  so  small,  and  weak,  in  spite  of  his 
boasted  strength  (vi.  13),  in  comparison  with  the  de- 
structive agencies  that  his  God  can  bring  against  him. 

3.  The  intercession  of  the  prophet  was  successful. 
Mercy  for  the  time  triumphed  over  justice. — Jehovah 
repented  him.      This  anthropopathism   is  natural  and 

1  The  usual  rendering  is,  when  they  had  finished  devouring,  and  the 
usual  method  of  answering  the  question  which  at  once  arises,  viz.  Of  what 
use  was  the  intercession  of  the  prophet  after  they  had  finished  their  rav- 
ages ?  is  to  insist  upon  a  distinction  between  ^vt'l?  and  ^p7,  and  explain 
that,  though  the  locusts  had  eaten  the  herbs  of  the  land,  the  aftergrowth 
had  not  been  touched,  so  that  this  could  be  saved  (Keil).  This  explana- 
tion is  so  unnatural  as  at  once  to  excite  suspicion.  On  closer  examination 
it  is  found  entirely  unsatisfactory.  It  assumes  a  distinction  between  — vCl? 
and  rpb  that  was  not  intended.  The  aftergrowth  is  mentioned  merely  to 
indicate  that  the  locusts  appeared  at  a  time  when  they  would  most  seri- 
ously damage  all  vegetation.  This  explanation,  moreover,  ignores  the 
nature  and  habits  of  locusts.  When  they  invade  a  country  they  devour 
everything  as  they  advance  (Joel  ii.  31).  It  is  therefore  ridiculous  to  rep- 
resent them  in  this  case  as  sparing  the  springing  grass  while  they  devoured 
all  other  herbage.  Finally,  the  interpretation  in  question  overlooks  the 
peculiar  construction  .Tm  with  which  the  verse  begins.  This  is  not  a  mis- 
take for  ^"T'^  (Ges.25  112,  6,  b,  7;  Wellhausen,  SV,  V.),  as  is  apparent 
from  the  fact  that  the  same  construction  occurs  in  v.  4,  but  a  form  deliber- 
ately chosen  for  the  sake  of  its  peculiar  signification.  It  gives  to  the 
whole  construction  an  inchoative  character,  that  would  be  more  exactly 
expressed  by  some  such  rendering  as  now  it  was  coming  to  a  pass  when 
they  would  have  wholly  devoured,  or,  more  briefly,  now  when  they  were  on 
the  point  of  devouring,  but  which  is  sufficiently  indicated  in  the  translation 
above  given, 

2  For  a  similar  use  of  'fi  see  Isa.  li.  19.  The  early  translators  seem  to 
have  mistaken  Dip''  for  D'p"*,  which  last  is  actually  found  in  a  few  codices. 


154  AMOS. 

allowable  in  the  connection.  See  Gen.  vi.  6.  —  of  this, 
his  evident  purpose  to  destroy  Israel.  —  It  shall  not  be, 
vis.  the  result  contemplated.  It  is  not  so  stated,  but 
of  course  it  is  implied,  that  Israel  was  spared  with  the 
hope  that  after  having  suffered  thus  for  their  sins,  they 
would  return  to  Jehovah.  They  did  not  return  to  him, 
therefore  he  sent  a  second  agent  to  destroy  them. 

THE  FIRE,  vv.  4-6.  —  It  is  kindled  but  mercifully 
quenched.  4.  called,  gave  command,  not  to  his  angels 
(Mercier),  but  to  the  fire  itself  as  his  agent. — to  punish 
by  fire,  i.e.  that  punishment  be  inflicted  by  fire  (Isa.  iii. 
13).  In  the  first  two  chapters  fire  was  a  symbol  for 
war.  It  has  therefore  been  supposed  that  here  also 
Amos  has  reference  to  a  hostile  invasion,  e.g.  that  of 
Tiglath-pileser  III.  (Henderson).  There  is,  however, 
nothing  in  the  context  to  indicate  that  the  word  is  to 
be  taken  figuratively,  and,  if  it  were,  it  could  not  refer 
to  the  Assyrian  invasion,  since  the  vision  is  a  picture  of 
the  past  rather  than  the  future.  It  seems  better,  there- 
fore, to  take  it  more  literally  as  meaning  droughty 
especially  since  this  is  one  of  the  most  common  calami- 
ties in  the  Orient,  as  Amos  himself  testifies  (iv.  7  f.).^  — 
the  great  deep,  not  the  Mediterranean  or  any  other 
body  of  water  alone,  but  the  vast  reservoirs  whence  the 
springs  and  streams  of  the  earth  were  believed  to  be 
fed  (Gen.  vii.  11;  Deut.  xxxiii.  13).  Amos  in  his  vision 
saw  this   emptied  or  so  far  exhausted  that  it  ceased 

1  Various  other  translations  for  ITin^  "'HK  tTKS  S'l'?  Xnp  have  been  sug- 
gested, e.g.  the  Lo7-d  Jehovah  called  [Israel]  to  strife  with  fire  (Baur),  and 
one  called  that  the  Lord  Jehovah  would  punish  zvith  fire  {Y.\\3\6.).  Hoff- 
mann corrects  the  text  to  tTK^  S'^'p  or  tTK  SD^b  (Ps.  xviii.  15),  while 
Oort  (7'r,  1880,  121)  prefers  the  reading  tTX  0)i'n"l. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  155 

to  supply  the  earth  with  moisture.  See  Wellhausen, 
SVy  V.  The  language  is  hyperbolical,  but  not,  therefore, 
necessarily  figurative.  Compare  Keil.  —  would  have 
devoured,  lit.  was  devouring,  i.e.  had  begun  to  devour. 
See  V.  2.  —  the  field,  lit.  the  portion,  i.e.  not  the  land 
of  Israel  (Hitzigy  but  the  land  in  distinction  from  the 
sea,  as  apportioned  among,  and  cultivated  by,  mankind, 
with  all  its  products.  This  had  already  begun  to  suffer 
from  drought,  perhaps  also  from  fires  such  as  often 
create  great  havoc  in  the  East  during  the  dry  season 
(Joel  i.  19  f. ;  Thomson,  LB,  II.  293),  when  the  prophet 
again  interceded,  with  the  same  plea  and  with  the  same 
result. 

6.  This  also  shall  not  be,  said  the  Lord  Jehovah : 
other  visions  of  the  same  import  with  the  two  preced- 
ing might  have  been  added,  at  least,  to  the  number  of 
the  chastisements  described  in  iv.  6-1 1,  but  these  two 
are  enough  to  illustrate  the  mercifulness  of  Jehovah 
and  prepare  the  way  for  the  lesson  of  the  third  vision. 

THE  PLUMB-LINE,  vv.  7-9.  —  There  is  a  limit  to  the 
mercy  even  of  Jehovah. 

7.  Thus  he  showed  me :  the  subject  Lord  is  to  be 
supplied  from  the  following  sentence.  Compare  vv.  i, 
4.^  —  by  a  plumb  wall:  a  wall  that  has  been  found 
plumb,  perpendicular.^  —  with  a  plumb-line  in  his  hand, 
as  if,  like  an  architect,  he  were  testing  the  wall.  This 
was  evidently  a  symbolical  act,   but  it  might  have  a 

1  The  Septuagint  adds  Kvplov.  Wellhausen  (SF,  V.)  leaves  pbn  un- 
translated. 

2  Perhaps  the  subject  originally  belonged  to  this  sentence,  as  the  Sep- 
tuagint would  seem  to  indicate. 

3  There  is  the  same  reason  for  translating  717  dy  in  this  as  in  the  fifth 
vision. 


156  AMOS. 

variety  of  meanings.     Amos,  therefore,  represents  Jeho- 
vah as  interpreting  it  to  him. 

8.  What  seest  thou  ?  a  clear  and  correct  idea  of  the 
symbol  was  necessary  to  an  adequate  idea  of  the  thing 
symbolized.  —  I  will  place  a  plumb-line  in  the  midst  of 
my  people  Israel:  just  as  the  architect  subjects  a  wall 
to  the  test  of  the  plumb-line,  so  will  I  subject  Israel  to 
the  test  of  justice,  and  just  as  the  architect  orders  the 
destruction  of  a  wall  that  cannot  stand  the  test  when 
applied,  so  will  I  command  that  my  people  be  destroyed, 
because  they  are  incurably  wicked.  See  2  Kings  xxi. 
13.  — I  will  not  again  pass  him  by,  spare  him,  i.e.  Israel, 
as  I  have  done  (Mic.  vii.  18),  but  let  justice  take  its 
course.  What  the  result  will  be  appears  from  the  next 
verse. 

9.  the  high-places,  the  places  of  worship  such  as 
Bethel,  Gilgal,  etc.,  the  sartctuaries  of  the  next  sen- 
tence. —  Isaac :  it  has  been  suggested  (Theodoret)  that 
this  name,  which.  Gen.  xxi.  6,  is  interpreted  as  meaning 
one  will  laughy  was  intended  to  reflect  on  the  worship 
of  the  high  places,  but  the  repetition  of  it  vn  v.  16 
shows  that,  like  Jacob  {v.  2),  it  is  simply  a  synonym  of 
Israel.!  —  destroyed :  the  destruction  of  the  sanctuaries 
implies  the  devastation  of  the  country.  The  means  by 
which  this  is  to  be  effected  is  war,  for  Jehovah  says  — 
I  will  arise  .  .  .  with  the  sword,  i.e.  as  he  says  vi.  14, 
raise  up  a  nation  to  wield  the  sword  for  him.  —  the 
house  of  Jeroboam,  not  as  a  dynasty,  but  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  nationality  of  Israel.  This  passage, 
therefore,  is  not  a  prediction  of  the  dethronement  of 

1  The  Septuagint  renders  it  by  the  appellative  y^Xwros.  On  the  form 
ptW^  see  iv.  ii. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  157 

Zechariah  by  Shallum  (2  Kings  xv.  10  f.),  but  of 
the  national  dissolution  of  which  that  was  the  begin- 
ning.i 

b.  Their  SigJiificance  to  Ainasiahy  vv.  10-17.  —  It 
was  impossible  that  one  so  severe  as  Amos  should 
remain  unmolested.  When  he  ventured  to  threaten  the 
royal  family  he  gave  his  enemies  an  opportunity  for 
which  they  had  doubtless  long  been  waiting. 

amasiah's  interference,  vv.  10-13.  — 10.  The  at- 
tack was  led  by  —  Amasiah,  the  priest,  i.e.  probably 
the  high  priest,  of  whom  nothing  is  known  except  his 
hostility  to  the  prophet.  —  sent  to  Jeroboam,  probably 
to  Samaria,  but  not  necessarily,  since  Bethel  also  was  a 
royal  residence  (2/.  13),  and  the  king  may  then  have  been 
there  to  attend  some  religious  ceremony.  —  Amos  hath 
conspired  against  thee :  Amasiah  does  not  mean  to 
charge  Amos  with  having  a  secret  understanding  with 
others  to  dethrone  the  king,  but,  as  the  next  verse 
shows,  with  using  language  that  was  calculated  to  pro- 
duce such  a  conspiracy.  There  were  doubtless  at  that 
time  in  Israel  restless  and  discontented  spirits  enough 
who  could  easily  have  persuaded  themselves  that  such 
a  prophecy  was  a  divine  commission  and  that,  in  fulfill- 
ing it,  they  would  be  doing  God  service.  —  in  the  midst 
of  the  house  of  Israel,  at  the  very  center  of  the  king- 
dom, where  he  could  do  most  harm.  —  the  land  is  not 
able  to  contain :  this  is  a  bit  of  oriental  extravagance 
that  was  intended  to  indicate  the  zeal  and  boldness  with 

1  If,  as  seems  clear,  this  third  vision  really  finds  its  explanation  in  v.  9, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  present  any  other  or  better  reason  for  rejecting  Hoff- 
mann's rendering  for  "^1^17 ;  for  /  will  not  add  yet  a  harvest  to  hifn,  i.e.  I 
will  not  grant  him  to  gather  another  harvest,  would  naturally  imply  merely 
a  third  curse,  e^.  blight,  upon  the  crops. 


158  AMOS. 

which  Amos  prosecuted  his  mission.  — all  his  words : 
they  are  so  many.     See  iii.  i. 

11.  By  the  sword  shall  Jeroboam  die  :  it  was  the  hotise 
of  Jeroboam  that  Amos  threatened  with  the  sword. 
Amasiah  gives  the  prophecy  a  more  personal  character, 
probably  that  it  may  produce  a  more  powerful  effect 
upon  the  king.  —  Israel  shall  surely  go  into  captivity : 
see  V.  5,  27 ;  vi.  7. 

12.  Amasiah  seems  to  have  been  less  anxious  for  the 
throne  than  for  his  own  position.  At  any  rate,  after 
having  sent  his  message  to  Jeroboam,  from  which,  per- 
haps, he  did  not  really  expect  much,  he  tried  the  exer- 
cise of  his  own  authority  upon  the  prophet.  Compare 
Gunning.  —  Seer,  the  older  (i  Sam.  ix.  9)  popular  desig- 
nation for  a  prophet.  Its  use  here  was  suggested  by 
the  visions  which  Amos  had  just  recited.  —  flee  thee, 
from  the  danger  into  which  his  boldness  had  brought 
him.  —  the  land  of  Judah,  his  own  country.  —  there  eat 
bread :  the  prophets  of  the  time  often  gained  their 
livelihood  by  the  practice  of  soothsaying  (Mic.  iii.  11). 
Amasiah,  mistaking  Amos  for  a  prophet  of  this  sort, 
orders  him  to  earn  his  bread  by  serving  his  own  people. 

13.  thou  shalt  no  longer  prophesy:  see  ii.  12. — a 
sanctuary  of  the  king,  a  shrine  established  by  the  first 
king  of  Israel  (i  Kings  xii.  28)  and  honored  with  the 
patronage  and  protection  of  his  successors.  —  a  royal 
residence,  where  the  king,  as  a  worshiper,  sometimes 
resided  (i  Kings  xiii.  i).  To  Amos  the  fact  that  Bethel 
was  the  religious  center  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  was 
a  reason  why  he  should,  rather  than  why  he  should 
not,  prophesy  there,  since  his  object  was  not  to  please 
anybody,  but  to  reach  the  heads  of  the  nation  with  his 
warning. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  159 

AMOs'  ANSWER,  vv.  14-17.  —  The  prophet  turns  upon 
the  priest.  14.  I  am  not  a  prophet,  by  profession.  He 
was  a  prophet  in  reality,  and  he  so  considered  himself, 
as  iii.  7  f.  implies  and  the  verse  following  this  one  dis- 
tinctly asserts.  —  a  son  of  the  prophets,  lit.  a  son  of  a 
prophet,  a  member  of  one  of  the  prophetic  guilds  that 
were  formed  about  such  men  as  Samuel  (i  Sam.  xix.  20), 
and  Elijah  (2  Kings  ii.  3),  and  that  sometimes  produced 
a  real  prophet  like  Elisha  (2  Kings  iii.  11).  —  a  shep- 
herd: see  i.  i.^  —  a  tender  of  sycamores:  the  sycamore, 
once  very  common  in  Palestine,  is  still  found  in  Philistia 
(i  Kings  X.  20).  The  wood,  though  durable,  is  not 
highly  prized  (Isa.  ix.  9).  The  fruit,  of  which  there  are 
several  crops  during  the  season,  has  to  be  pinched  or 
scratched  before  it  will  ripen.  It  was  a  part  of  Amos' 
business  thus  to  treat  this  fruit,  when  Jehovah  called 
him  to  be  a  prophet.  Whether  he  owned  the  trees  that 
he  tended  or  was  employed  by  some  wealthier  person 
does  not  appear.  Even  in  the  former  case  he  might 
have  been  far  from  rich,  since  the  fruit  of  the  sycamore 
was  hardly  worth  the  trouble  of  raising  it.  See  Van 
Lennep,  BL  145  f . ;  Thomson,  LB,  III.  113. 

15.  Jehovah  took  me  from  behind  the  flock:  Amos, 
therefore,  when  he  became  a  prophet,  like  the  apostles 
of  Jesus,  left  all  to  obey  the  call  that  he  had  received. 
—  Jehovah  said :  the  repetition  of  the  subject  emphasizes 
the  divinity  of  the  prophet's  mission.  —  my  people  Israel : 
there  is  a  note  of  yearning  in  the  expression.  Compare 
thy  God,  ix.  15. 

1  The  statement  of  the  next  verse,  Jehovah  took  me  from  behind  the 
flock,  requires  that  "^p"'— ,  if  it  be  retained,  be  thus  rendered.  The  word 
is,  however,  probably  as  Hitzig  maintains  a  mistake  for  *Tp13.  See  the 
Septuagint. 


160  AMOS. 

1 6.  And  now  :  the  preceding  introduction  was  well 
calculated  to  add  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  prophecy 
that  follows. — preach,  lit.  drop,  i.e.  words  (Deut.  xxxii. 
2).  It  is  not  safe  to  assert  that  the  word  is  here  used 
in  a  bad  sense.     Compare  Hoffmann. 

17.  Thy  wife  shall  play  the  harlot,  be  treated  as  a 
harlot  by  the  victorious  enemies  of  Israel  (Zech.  xiv.  2). 
For  proof  that  such  outrages  were  actually  practiced 
by  the  Assyrians,  see  Records  of  the  Past,  III.  51.  —  in 
the  city,  her  native  city,  after  its  capture.^ — thy  land 
shall  be  divided  by  line,  apportioned  to  colonists  by 
the  conqueror,  in  accordance  with  the  policy  of  the 
Assyrians  after  Tiglath-pileser  III.  See  2  Kings  xvii. 
24.  —  thou  thyself,  stripped  of  everything  that  is  held 
dear.  —  an  unclean  soil,  a  foreign  soil,  polluted  by  a 
false  religion  (Hos.  ix.  3).  —  Israel  shall  surely  go  into 
captivity :  Amos  does  not  say  that  Amasiah  will  go 
into  captivity  at  the  same  time  with  the  rest  of  Israel, 
but  this  is  the  natural  inference  from  the  connection. 
He  must,  therefore,  have  expected  that  the  northern 
kingdom  would  be  overthrown  within  a  comparatively 
short  time  from  the  date  of  his  prediction.  Perhaps,  in 
his  zeal  for  justice,  he  expected  it  sooner  than  Jehovah 
had  ordained  that  it  should  occur.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
it  was  about  twenty-five  years  before  Tigleth-pileser  III. 
invaded  Israel,  and  about  thirty-five  before  Samaria  was 
finally  attacked  by  Shalmaneser  IV. 

2.    The  Fruit  of  Sin  the  End  of  Israel,  viii. 
It  was  not  Amos,  but  Amasiah,  who  was  silenced  in 

1  This  last  phrase  seems  superfluous,  but  it  is  better  to  retain  it  than  to 
adopt  Hoffmann's  emendation  H^iri  iy2. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  153 

the  encounter  just  described.  The  prophet  returnL^heir 
his  message  to  Israel,  and  added  a  fourth  vision,  whicr. 
not  only  recalls  the  fact  that  mercy  has  made  way  for 
justice,  but  displays  the  lamentable  significance  of  this 
fact. 

a.  The  Basket  of  Ripe  Fruit,  vv.  1-3. —  i.  a  basket 
of  ripe  fruit :  see  Jer.  xxiv.  i  ff .  This  symbol  has  a 
twofold  appropriateness,  since  there  is  a  hkeness  in  the 
original  between  the  words  for  ripe  fruit  and  end  as  well 
as  an  analogy  between  the  ideas  that  the  words  express. 
Compare  vii.  7  ;  Jer.  xxiv.  i. 

2.  What  seest  thou,  Amos  ?  see  vii.  8.  —  My  people 
Israel  are  ripe  for  their  end  :  literally  Jehovah  says,  The 
end  has  come  for  my  people  Israel;  but  more  or  less  liberty 
must  be  taken  with  the  text  in  order  to  indicate,  as,  e.g.., 
the  English  version  does  not,  that  Amos  intended  a 
paronomasia. — I  will  not  again  pass  them  by:  see  vii.  8.^ 

3.  the  songs  of  the  palace,  the  noisy  nothings  that 
Amos  has  already  described  (vi.  5).^ — shall  become 
howls,  for  the  dead.  —  in  that  day,  the  day  of  Jehovah, 
V.  18. — shall  they  be  cast,  lit.  shall  one,  not  he,  i.e. 
Jehovah  (Keil),  cast  \them\  without  taking  the  trouble 
to  bury  them.  It  is  the  same  scene  that  was  described 
more  vividly  vi.  9  f.,  a  scene  of  death  and  despair ;  hence 
it  is  natural  that  at  the  close  of  this  passage  also  the 
hopelessness  of  Israel's  condition  should  be  indicated  by 

1  Here,  again,  Hoffmann,  having  substituted  pp  for  J'p,  and  thus  with- 
out warrant  destroyed  the  paronomasia,  introduces  his  pecuUar  interpreta- 
tion for  imu.     See  vii.  8. 

2  The  word  7^^'^,  Ass.  ikallu,  also  means  temple,  especially  that  of 
Jehovah  (i  Sam.  i.  9),  but  the  context  seems  to  require  the  translation 
palace.  With  m"ltt^,  instead  of  T\T\'"<S  (Hofifmann),  such  a  translation 
would  be  still  more  appropriate. 


AMOS. 
160 

vvarning  —  Hush !  not,  of  course,  from  the  mourning 
.arvivors  in  the  palaces,  but,  as  in  the  former  case,  from 
those  who  are  engaged  in  removing  the  dead.^ 

b.  The  Bitter  End  of  Israel^  4-14.  —  The  brief  inter- 
pretation of  this  fourth  vision  in  v.  3  is  now  followed  by 
a  fuller  development  of  the  thought  involved,  in  which 
there  are  frequent  reminiscences  of  the  second  part  of 
the  book.     He  begins  with 

A    NEW    INDICTMENT,    VV.  4-8. 4.    Hcat    tWs  I    SCC  ill. 

I  ;  iv.  I ;  V.  I.  —  pant  after  the  needy,  eagerly  persecute 
them,  to  what  end  is  explained  in  the  words  following. 
—  and  to  destroy  the  humble  :  the  whole  might  be 
rendered,  who  pant  to  destroy  (lit.  cause  to  cease)  the 
needy  and  hnmble.     See  ii.  7.2 

$.  the  new-moon,  the  first  of  the  month  (Num.  x. 
10),  which  had  been  a  holiday  among  the  Hebrews  as 
well  as  their  neighbors  from  the  earliest  times  (i  Sam. 
XX.  5  ;  2  Kings  iv.  23).  It  was  an  unwelcome  day  to  the 
greedy  merchants  of  Israel  because  it  now  and  then 
temporarily  checked  the  increase  of  their  wealth.  They 
would,  therefore,  doubtless  have  neglected  it  had  its 
observance  not  been  enforced  by  some  such  sanction  as 
protected  the  Sabbath  from  violation.  —  the  Sabbath : 
this  also  was  far  from  being  a  delight  to  them,  yet  they, 
at  least  outwardly,  observed  it,  imagining,  perhaps,  that 

1  If  on  is  to  be  retained  in  the  text,  this  is  a  far  better  interpretation  of 
it  than  that  which  makes  it  an  adverb  (Baur) ,  or  that  which  connects  it 
with  the  following  sentence  (Siegfried  &  Stade).  On  the  other  hand,  if  it 
is  to  be  rejected,  a  better  explanation  of  its  origin  should  be  discovered 
than  that  it  is  a  corruption  of  'tTH,  an  abbreviation  for  l^tTn,  which  some 
reader  preferred  to  "I'^T'tTn  (Gunning). 

2  Hoffmann's  emendation  nStt^bl  for  IT'atf^b'),  i.e.  IT'Stt^nS  (Ges.  53, 
3,  R  7)  totally  ignores  the  context.  For  ''.')317  humble,  the  punctators  would 
read  \*50  humbled,  affiicted^  but  the  original  text  seems  preferable. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  163 

the  scanty  respect  that  they  paid  it  would  offset  their 
neglect  of  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law.  —  open  corn, 
expose  it  for  sale.  —  diminishing  the  ephah,  using  scant 
measures.  The  size  of  the  ephah  has  been  variously 
estimated.  According  to  Josephus  (Ant.  viii.  2,  9)  it 
was  equal  to  an  Attic  metretes,  containing  about  39.39 
liters  (40.62  quarts),  while  according  to  Thenius,  whose 
calculations  are  based  upon  rabbinical  data,  it  contained 
only  20.12  liters  (21.26  quarts).  See  Riehm,  HBA,  art. 
Maasse ;  compare  Smith,  BD^  art.  Weights  and  Meas- 
2ires.  The  practice  here  described  was  condemned  by 
all  good  Hebrews  (Deut.  xxv.  I3ff.  ;  Prov.  xx.  10).^  — 
enlarging  the  shekel :  a  shekel  was  originally  a  weight. 
A  shekel  of  gold  or  silver  was,  therefore,  a  certain  quan- 
tity of  one  of  these  metals,  weighed  by  the  buyer  to  the 
seller  in  exchange  for  any  commodity  purchased  (i  Kings 
xxxii.  9).  It  is  probable  that  by  an  enlarged  shekel 
Amos  here  means  an  exorbitant  price.  The  exact  value 
of  a  shekel  is  not  known,  but  it  has  been  estimated  that 
the  gold  shekel  weighed  about  16.37  grams,  and  was 
worth  about  ^10.80,  while  the  silver  shekel  weighed 
about  14.55  grams,  and  had  a  value  of  about  $.60. 
See  Riehm,  HBA  ;  compare  Smith,  BD,  art.  Weights 
and  Measures.  —  providing  false  balances,  lit.  perverting 
balances  of  deceit,  i.e.  tampering  with  the  balances  so 
that  they  deceive  in  weight.  The  balances  are  those 
used  in  weighing  the  price  of  the  grain  sold.  Amos, 
therefore,  charges  these  dealers  in  grain  with  selling 
scant  measure  for  an  exorbitant  price,  weighed  in  bal- 
ances adjusted  to  their  advantage,  —  a  threefold  crime. 

1  I'tSpnb  is  a  complementary  or  circumstantial  infinitive  equivalent  to  a 
Latin  gerundive.     See  Ges.^^  114,  2,  R  4. 


164  AMOS. 

6.  The  natural  result  of  such  rascality  was  to  make 
the  rich  rapidly  richer  and  the  poor  just  as  rapidly 
poorer.  The  poorest  soon  had  to  buy  the  little  that 
they  needed  on  credit,  and  thus  put  themselves  into  the 
power  of  their  creditors,  who  could  at  any  time  buy 
them  of  the  judges  before  whom  they  were  arraigned,  for 
a  trifling  bribe.  See  ii.  6.  Moreover,  and  this  is  the 
climax  of  the  indictment,  dearly  as  they  paid  for  it,  those 
who  had  to  buy  grain  got  httle  satisfaction  from  it,  for 
it  was  only  —  the  refuse  of  the  corn,  that  part,  but  little 
better  than  chaff,  which  consisted  mostly  of  the  lighter 
kernels,  tailings.^ 

7.  The  recital  of  these  iniquitous  practices  fills  Amos 
with  indignation.  —  by  the  glory  of  Jacob,  not  the  false 
(Orelli),  as  in  vi.  8,  but  the  true  glory  of  the  chosen 
people,  Jehovah  himself.  See  iv.  2;  vi.  8. — all  their 
deeds,  their  many  wicked  deeds  (iii.  i). 

8.  on  this  account,  not  on  account  of  the  oath  of 
Jehovah  (Keil),  but  because  of  the  corrupt  condition  of 
the  nation.  This  is  the  occasion  of  the  convulsion 
threatened,  though  of  course  the  efficient  cause  is  Jeho- 
vah himself,  as  appears  from  ix.  5.  See  iii.  6.  — tremble, 
be  convulsed,  as  by  an  earthquake,  the  most  terrible 
phenomenon  in  which  Jehovah  can  manifest  his  indig- 
nation. —  like  the  Nile,  during  the  annual  inundation. ^ 

1  Hoffmann's  interpretation  of  these  last  words,  and  for  a  share  in  grain 
to  be  sold,  we  may  sell,  viz.,  the  lowly  and  needy,  is  consistent  with  his 
explanation  of  those  preceding  (see  ii.  6),  and  that  is  the  most  that  can 
be  said  for  it.  Oort  {TT^  1880,  155)  declares  them  unintelligible; 
Wellhausen  (5F,  V.)  says  that  they  are  at  least  misplaced. 

2  *1X3  is  doubtless  an  error  for  'nX''3,  which  is  the  reading  in  ix.  5.  It 
is  also  found  in  many  codices  in  this  passage.  "1S^  is  the  Egyptian  word 
aur,  river,  corrupted  into  iar  (Ebers,  Egypten  und  die  Biicher  MosiSy 
337),  which  occurs  in  Assyrian  in  the  ioxmjaru'u  (Schrader,  AviJ'isi  f.). 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  165 

—  and  heave,  lit.  be  driven^  as  water  is  driven,  troubled, 
by  the  wind  (Isa.  Ivii.  20).  The  words  are  an  interpo- 
lation, as  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  they  are  wanting  in 
ix.  5,  and  that  the  earliest  translators  found  nothing  to 
correspond  to  them  in  this  passage.^ — fall  like  the  Nile, 
when  its  waters  subside  after  the  inundation.^ 

DISTRESS  AND  DARKNESS,  vv.  9- 10.  —  It  is  the  day  of 
Jehovah.  9.  I  will  cause  the  sun  to  set  at  noon,  sud- 
denly and  unexpectedly  bring  darkness  upon  the  land 
(v.  18).  The  picture  was  doubtless  suggested  by  an 
eclipse,  according  to  J.  D.  Michaelis  that  of  Feb.  9, 
784  B.C.,  but  it  is  not  to  be  understood  too  literally. 
It  is  probable  that  Amos  expected  a  figurative  darkness 
accompanied  by  corresponding  tokens  of  Jehovah's 
anger  in  nature. 

10.  I  will  turn  ...  all  your  songs  into  lamentation : 
see  V.  3.  —  sackcloth,  a  token  of  mourning,  worn  some- 
times under  (2  Kings  vi.  30),  sometimes  over,  other 
clothing  (Ps.  XXX.  12),  and  sometimes  as  one's  only 
covering  (Isa.  iii.  24).  —  baldness,  produced,  not  by 
plucking  at  the  hair,  though  the  Hebrews  sometimes 
expressed  their  grief  in  this  way  (Ezr.  ix.  3),  but  by 
shaving  the  head  (Mic.  i.  16),  a  practice  forbidden  in 
the  Pentateuch  (Lev.  xxi.  5;  Deut.  xiv.  i). — I  will 
make  it,  lit.  place  it,  i.e.  the  land  and  its  people  (com- 
pare Keil)  in  the  condition  of  one  who  mourns  ^  —  for 

1  See  the  Septuagint.  If  Htt^lJlSI  can  be  explained  as  a  gloss,  there  is  no 
need  of  suspecting  any  further  corruption  of  the  text.  Compare  Well- 
hausen,  Hoffmann,  and  VoUers. 

2  nptTJI  is  a  mistake  for  nrptTil,  the  reading  of  many  codices. 

8  After  lamentation^  sackcloth,  and  baldness,  all  tokens  of  grief,  it  is  per- 
fectly natural  that  the  intensity  of  this  grief  should  be  described  as  like 
that  for  an  only  child;  yet  Gunning,  with  Oort,  pronounces  10  b  "an  unin- 
telligible half- verse." 


166  AMOS. 

an  only  child,  the  bitterest  imaginable  distress.  See 
Zech.  xii.  lo.^  —  the  end  thereof  as  a  bitter  day:  there 
is  nothing  but  distress  in  store  for  Israel. 

APOSTATE,  ABANDONED,  vv.  1 1-14.  —  II.  In  their  dis- 
tress some,  at  least,  will  feel  neither  —  hunger  for  bread 
nor  thirst  for  water,  although  they  will  have  to  suffer 
from  both  of  these  causes,  so  great  will  be  the  need  of 
—  the  word  of  Jehovah,  comforting  and  directing  them 
through  his  servants  the  prophets  (Isa.  viii.  19).^ 

12.  from  sea  to  sea,  not  from  ocean  to  ocean  (Keil), 
nor  from  the  sea  of  Tiberias  to  the  Mediterranean 
(Henry),  but  from  the  Dead  Sea,  the  southern  limit  of 
the  kingdom  of  Israel  (2  Kings  xiv.  25),  to  the  Medi- 
terranean, its  western  boundary  (Joel  ii.  20).  — from  the 
north  to  the  east,  thus  making  the  entire  circuit  of  the 
country  (Ps.  Ixxii.  8).  Compare  Keil.  —  shall  they 
wander:  see  iv.  8.^  —  they  shall  not  find  it,  because 
they  themselves  have  silenced  or  banished  all  their 
prophets.     See  ii.  12;  vii.  13. 

13.  the  fairest  maidens  and  the  youths,  or  the  fairest 
maidens  and  youths,  the  strongest  to  endure  privation 
among  the  people.  —  for  thirst :  they  will  die  of  thirst 

1  The  reference  to  Tammuz,  the  Assyrian  Adonis,  and  his  worship,  that 
has  been  supposed  to  be  discoverable  in  this  passage,  is  a  pure  fiction. 
Compare  Smith,  Chaldean  Account  of  Genesis,  248. 

2  The  text  has  m.T'  ''"im,  but  this  is  certainly  a  mistake,  for  Min''  "IST  is 
the  proper  expression  for  a  communication  from  Jehovah  (see  v.  12),  and 
this  reading  is  actually  found  in  some  of  the  best  manuscripts.  Moreover, 
the  Septuagint  has  rhv  \6yov  and  not  roi/s  \6yovs. 

8  The  Masoretic  punctuation  is  evidently  incorrect.  T/iey  shall  stray 
from  sea  to  sea  and  From  the  north  to  the  east  shall  they  wander  form  a 
parallelism;  "HSDItT'',  therefore,  should  close  the  first,  instead  of  beginning 
the  second,  half  of  the  verse.     See  the  Septuagint. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  167 

or  from  some  other  physical  cause  because  their  hunger 
and  thirst  for  Jehovah's  word  cannot  be  satisfied,  i.e. 
because  they  cannot  find  a  prophet  to  tell  them  how  to 
escape  the  evils  that  their  sins  have  brought  upon  them. 
14.  who  swear  by,  and  thus  declare  their  devotion  to 
(Deut.  X.  20).  — the  sin  of  Samaria,  not  any  idol  at  the 
city  of  Samaria  (Hitzig),  but  the  calf  at  Bethel  in  the 
kingdom  of  Samaria,  i.e.  Israel.  See  Hos.  viii.  5  ;  x.  5.^ 
—  By  thy  god,  0  Dan,  the  calf  at  Dan  (i  Kings  xii.  29), 
now  Tell  el-Kadi,  at  the  head  of  the  main  branch  of 
the  Jordan.  See  Stanley,  Sijiai  and  Palestine,  464 ; 
Thomson,  LB,  II.  457.^  —  By  the  way  of  Beersheba : 
most  modern  commentators  take  the  word  way  literally, 
assuming  that,  as  the  Mohammedans  swear  by  their 
pilgrimage  to  Mecca,^  so  the  Hebrews  actually  swore 
by  the  way  to  Beersheba  (Orelli).  This  interpretation, 
however,  finds  no  support  either  here  or  elsewhere  in 
the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  It  seems  necessary,  therefore, 
either  to  suppose  a  corruption  in  the  text  (Gunning)  or 
return  to  the  earlier  view,  that  by  the  way  of  Beer- 
sheba is  meant  the  worship  at  that  sanctuary,  a  view  in 
support  of  which  such  passages  as  Jud.  ii.  22  and  Jer. 
x.  2  can  be  quoted.*  —  they  shall  fall,  and  the  rest  of 
the  nation  with  them.  —  and  not  rise  again  :  see  v.  2. 

1  The  phrase  jn^tT^  n^tTK  is  not  a  mistake  for  jntttT  n^llt'K  (Oort),  but 
Amos'  equivalent  for  Hosea's  T'K'lti^''  71X1311  (x.  8). 

2  "PI  is  the  profane  form  for  which  "PI,  the  original  word,  is  used  with  the 
name  of  the  true  God  (i  Sam.  xx.  3).     Compare  ^H^^  and  ''3'TK,  "^7^  and 

•^jbb,  na  and  na,  etc 

^  '*  By  the  pilgrimage  and  the  height  of  Mina, 
"Where  the  pious  host  stone  Satan." 

—  Riickert's  Hariri,  I.  189. 
*  The  attempts  to  find  a  satisfactory  substitute  for  "Tl"!  have  been  vari- 


168  AMOS. 

3.  The  Destroyer  of  Sinners  the  Hope  of  his 
Saints,  ix. 

The  foregoing  visions  make  it  clear  that  a  catastrophe 
is  approaching,  and  that  it  will  be  disastrous  to  Israel. 
There  is  only  one  more  question, —  Is  it  inevitable  ?  It 
is  this  question  that  is  answered  by  the  fifth  and  last 
vision  and  the  discourse  suggested  by  it.  The  vision  is 
one  of  — 

a.  A  Smitten  Sanctuary^  vv.  i-6,  under  whose  crum- 
bling walls  most  of  those  who  have  taken  refuge  in  it 
are  buried,  while  the  rest  are  destroyed  as  they  escape 
from  the  ruins. —  i.  by  the  altar,  not  necessarily  either 
that  at  Jerusalem  (Keil),  or  one  of  those  at  Bethel  (Gun- 
ning), but  the  altar  as  a  refuge.  —  he  said  :  it  is  useless 
to  inquire  to  whom  the  command  is  given,  the  prophet 
(Baur),  or  an  angel  (Hitzig),  or  some  other  person.  The 
agent  of  destruction,  in  this  as  in  several  other  cases 
(iv.  2 ;  vi.  II  ;  viii.  3),  is  indefinite,  and  —  Smite  the 
capital,  equivalent  to  Let  the  capital  be  smitten.  The 
capital  is  that  of  any  or  every  column  in  the  temple  to 
which  the  altar  belongs  (Zeph.  ii.  14). — the  threshold, 
i.e.  the  foundation.  See  Wellhausen,  SV,  V.  —  quake, 
from  the  effect  of  the  blow.^  —  break  them,  the  parts  of 
the  temple.2 —  all  of  them,  those  assembled  in  and  about 

ous.  Thus  Dozy  reads  ^I^K  (6  ^e6s  aov)  on  the  authority  of  the  Septua- 
gint;  Gunning  on  the  same  authority  T^HK;  while  Oort  suggests  "Tl^  {thy 
well),  Hoffmann  "^Tl  (Jhy  darling),  etc.  None  of  these  suggestions,  how- 
ever, has  met  with  much  favor  among  scholars. 

1  Delitzsch  (Isa.  vi.  4)  renders  D^BD  lintel,  and  the  suffix  of  DI72i!l  at 
first  sight  would  seem  to  require  such  a  rendering;  but  this  suffix  may,  and 
probably  does,  refer  to  the  temple  as  a  whole,  composed  of  parts,  only  two 
of  which,  top  and  bottom,  are  expressly  mentioned. 

a  On  nysin  (Baer)  for  DlJIlin  see  Ges.  61,  2.  Wellhausen  {SV,  V.)  is 
content  with  pronouncing  the  text  corrupt. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  169 

the  temple,  symbolizing  Israel.  —  the  last  of  them,  those 
who  do  not  perish  in  the  ruins.  Compare  Gunning.  — 
I  will  slay  with  the  sword,  as  they  attempt  to  escape,  so 
that  —  there  shall  not  a  fugitive  of  them  flee,  to  a  place 
of  safety.  If  one  should  seem  to  have  eluded  the  sword, 
let  him  not  imagine  himself  beyond  the  reach  of  Jeho- 
vah. Did  not  he  who  escaped  from  both  the  lion  and" 
the  bear  at  last  die  of  the  serpent's  bite  (v.  19).?  This 
is  the  thought  of  which  the  next  three  verses  are  a  piti- 
less development.     Compare  Ps.  cxxxix.  7-12. 

2.  sheol,  the  cavernous  underworld,  elsewhere  rep- 
resented as  the  abode  of  the  dead  (Isa.  xiv.  9  ff.).  It  is 
here  the  utmost  depth  as  contrasted  with  the  heavens, 
the  utmost  height  (Isa.  vii.  11). 

3.  the  top  of  Carmel,  in  the  caves,  said  to  be  two 
thousand  in  number,  and  among  the  dense  foliage,  of 
the  summit  of  the  mountain  (Mic.  v.  14),  where  Strabo 
says  that  pirates  found  hiding  in  his  day.  See  Oliphant, 
Haifa,  27. — there  will  I  seek  and  thence  will  I  fetch 
them,  lit.  the^ice  will  I  seek  and  fetch  them.  —  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  beneath  the  waters  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean.—  the  serpent,  one  of  the  monsters  that  were 
supposed  by  the  ancients  to  inhabit  the  deep  (Gen.  i.  21 ; 
Isa.  xxvii.  i). 

4.  go  into  captivity,  as  some  of  them  will  (v.  27).  — 
I  will  fix  my  eye  upon  them  for  evil :  to  fix  one's  eye  or 
face  upon  a  person  is  to  adopt  a  purpose  good  or  bad 
with  reference  to  that  person  (Jer.  xxiv.  6;  xliv.  11). 
Jehovah  declares  that  he  is  bent  upon  the  destruction 
of  Israel.  How  natural,  after  such  a  statement,  is  the 
description  of  Jehovah's  power  that  follows  !    See  iv.  13.^ 

1  On  the  genuineness  of  w.  5  f.  see  Introductory  Studies  III. 


170  AMOS, 

5.  the  Lord  Jehovah  of  hosts,  a  name  for  God  not 
elsewhere  used  by  Amos,  is  an  abbreviation  of  the  Lord 
Jehovah  God  of  hosts  {\\\.  13). — toucheth  the  earth  and 
it  quaketh :  in  viii.  8  the  earthquake  is  a  local  manifes- 
tation of  Jehovah's  anger ;  here  it  is  a  more  general 
display  of  his  power.  Compare  Ps.  xlvi.  7.  —  riseth 
.  .  .  and  falleth :  compare  viii.  8. 

6.  in  the  heavens,  on  the  mass  of  waters  above  the 
firmament  (Ps.  civ.  3;  Gen.  i.  7). — his  chambers,  his 
dwelling  (Jer.  xxii.  13).^ — his  vault,  the  starry  dome  by 
which  the  earth  is  overhung.  See  Isa.  Ixvi.  i.  —  who 
calleth  :  see  v.  8. 

b.  A  Foj'feited  Distinction^  vv.  7-10.  —  At  this  point 
it  seems  to  have  occurred  to  the  prophet  that  perhaps 
his  auditors  were  saying  in  their  hearts  that  Jehovah 
would  not  so  ruthlessly  destroy  a  people  which  he  had 
rescued  from  slavery  and  given  their  heritage  in  Canaan. 
Therefore,  though  he  has  himself  twice  (ii.  10;  iii.  i) 
referred  to  these  great  tokens  of  Jehovah's  favor,  he 
now  takes  pains  to  deny  that  they  furnish  a  warrant  for 
presuming  upon  his  mercy. 

7.  the  children  of  Cush :  the  Cushites  of  Amos'  day 
were  a  people  who  had  migrated  from  Asia,  occupied 
the  region  now  called  Nubia,  with  Napata  as  their  capi- 
tal, and,  under  a  dynasty  founded  by  an  Egyptian  priest, 
added  Upper  Egypt  with  Thebes  to  their  territory. 
Indeed,  at  about  the  date  of  this  book,  the  Cushite  or 
Ethiopian  king  Piankhi  invaded  and,  if  his  own  account 
of  the  matter  is  correct,  temporarily  conquered  the  rest 
of  Egypt.  See  Brugsch,  Egypt  under  the  Pharaohs,  II. 
234  ff.     The  Cushites  are  cited,  not  because  they  were 

1  The  b  of  imblJtt  is  best  explained  as  a  case  of  dittography. 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  171 

Hamites  (Baur),  or  because  they  were  black  (Keil),  but 
because,  being  outside  of  the  circle  of  civilized  nations 
known  to  the  Hebrews,  they  were  popularly  regarded 
as  least  favored  by  Jehovah  of  all  peoples.^  —  If  I 
brought  Israel  up  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  did  I  not  also 
bring,  etc.,  lit.  Did  I  not  bring  Israel  np  from  the  iafid 
of  Egypt  and,  etc.  The  idea  is  that,  since  Israel  have 
not  performed  their  part  of  the  covenant  of  which  they 
boast,  the  events  of  their  history  in  which  the  hand  of 
Jehovah  seemed  most  evident  must  be  interpreted  as 
manifestations,  not  of  a  peculiar  interest  in  them,  but 
of  his  general  activity  in  human  affairs.  —  Caphtor  :  this 
region  has  by  some  been  identified  with  the  island  of 
Crete  (Hitzig),  by  others  with  the  coast  of  the  Egyptian 
delta  (Ebers).  It  is  probable  that  both  regions  were 
,  peopled  by  the  same  tribe  and  that,  after  the  invasion 
of  Palestine  by  the  Philistines  from  the  southwest 
(Deut.  ii.  23 ;  compare  Gen.  x.  14),  the  invaders  were 
reinforced  by  immigrants  from  Crete.  See  Ebers,  EBM 
130  f . ;  Brugsch,  EP,  II.  401  ff. — Kir,  the  region  to 
which  they  were  afterward  transported.  See  i.  5.  This 
second  question  is  entirely  distinct  from  the  first,  though 
intended  to  suggest  the  same  idea.  It  is  therefore 
absurd  to  represent  Amos  as  teaching,  contrary  to  Gen. 
X.,  that  the  Philistines  and  even  the  Syrians  were  Cush- 
ites.     Compare  Hitzig. 

8.  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  Jehovah  :  see  -z;.  4.  —  the  sin- 
ful kingdom,  Israel.  —  only  :  the  kingdom  as  a  king- 
dom must  fall  because  the  ruling  classes  are  thoroughly 
corrupt,  and,  when  it  falls,  all  classes  must  suffer  from 

1  On  the  construction  D''r3  ^:S  for  tt^lS  ■':3  (Deut.  ix,  2),  see  Ges. 
124,  2. 


172  AMOS. 

its  overthrow ;  yet,  since  there  are  doubtless  those  who, 
though  few  in  number  and  humble  in  circumstances, 
have  remained  faithful  to  Jehovah',  the  prophet  is  forced 
to  exempt  them  from  utter  destruction.  He  therefore 
promises  them  that,  as  he  has  already  given  them  rea- 
son to  hope  (v.  15),  Jehovah  will  not  utterly  destroy  — 
the  house  of  Jacob :  by  the  house  of  Jacob  is  meant 
neither  Judah  (Groetz)  nor  Israel,  in  the  broader  sense 
(Orelli),  as  contrasted  with  Israel  in  the  narrower  sense, 
but,  as  elsewhere  in  the  book  (iii.  13;  vi.  3  ;  vii.  2,  5  ; 
viii.  7),  the  northern  kingdom  in  its  entirety,  as  con- 
trasted with  the  sinful  portion  of  it. 

9.  the  house  of  Israel,  good  and  bad  alike.  —  among 
all  nations,  as  captives.  —  in  a  sieve,  such  as  is  still  used 
by  the  Arabs  under  the  name  ghirbal  in  cleaning  grain 
from  the  dust  and  dirt  of  the  threshing-floor.  See  Wetz- 
stein  in  ZDP  V,  XIV.  i  ff .  —  there  shall  not  a  kernel  fall 
to  the  earth:  just  as  one  who  is  cleaning  grain  takes  care 
that,  while  the  dust  and  dirt  fall  through  the  sieve,  all  the 
good  grain  remains  in  it,  so  Jehovah,  however  severely 
he  may  chastise  the  nation  as  a  nation,  will  see  that  none 
of  his  saints  is  suffered  to  perish.     See  Gen.  xviii.  25.1 

10.  all  the  sinners  among  my  people,  explains  what 
was  meant  by  t/ie  shifid  kingdom.  —  Evil  will  not  .  .  . 
befall  us  :  see  vi.  3.2 

c.  A  Purified  Remnant,  vv.  11-15. —  For  the  few 
who  are  saved  Amos  has  the  most  comforting  of  prom- 
ises.    He  assures  them  that  they  shall  be  rescued  from 

^  Hoffmann  renders  *Tn2t  pebble,  and  interprets  it  as  a  symbol  of  the 
sinners,  who  remain  in  captivity  while  the  righteous  escape.  Compare 
Wellhausen,  SV,  V. 

2  For  ty'jn  and  D^pn  Wellhausen  reack  tt^Sn  and  D?|5n.  For  ^T1)3^ 
read  13ni;a,.     Hoffmann  suggests  U^P, 


TRANSLATION  AND    COMMENTS.  173 

captivity,  and  as  subjects  of  a  reunited  Hebrew  kingdom 
thenceforth  enjoy  the  fullness  of  Jehovah's  favor. 

II.  In  that  day,  after  the  execution  of  the  sentence 
against  the  apostate  kingdom.  —  the  .  .  .  hut  of  David : 
the  once  stately  house  of  David  {2  Sam.  vii.  11,  16),  the 
kingdom  of  David,  which  was  reduced  to  a  mere  hut 
by  the  rupture  under  Rehoboam  and  almost  completely 
wrecked  through  the  foolhardiness  of  Uzziah's  father, 
Amasiah  (2  Kings  xiv.  8  ff.).  It  is  this  hut  or  booth  in 
a  vineyard  (Isa.  i.  8)  to  which  Amos  promises  restora- 
tion and  prosperity.  See  Hos.  i.  11  ;  iii.  5.  As  he  de- 
velops this  idea  he  neglects  the  figure  under  which  he 
first  presented  it.  —  their  breaches,  the  breaches  by 
which  the  cities  of  the  land  as  a  whole  have  been  ren- 
dered defenseless.^  —  his  ruins,  viz.  those  of  David, 
or,  more  strictly,  his  kingdom.^  —  rebuild  it:  here  the 
prophet  returns  to  the  figure  with  which  he  started. 
The  fallen  hict  is  to  be  rebuilt,  not,  however,  as  a  hut, 
but  as  a  house  worthy  of  David.^  —  as  ...  of  old,  in  the 
days  of  David  and  Solomon. 

1  This  is  a  more  natural  explanation  of  the  suffix  of  jiTSiia  than  that 
which  refers  it  to  a  noun  nmil  implied  in  TmJ  (Delitzsch),  or  that 
which  finds  in  it  a  reference  to  the  two  kingdoms  into  which  the  original 
one  was  divided  (Keil).  Amos  did  not  expect  the  breaches  in  the  kingdom 
of  Israel  to  be  mended.  Hoffmann  gets  rid  of  the  difficulty  at  this  point 
by  pointing  the  preceding  words  TT'Ewn  I^H  n2D.  Wellhausen  {^SV,  V.) 
reads  n^SIIS. 

2  The  suffix  of  VriDin  has  also  been  referred  to  fT'S  implied  in  USD 
(Delitzsch)  and  Israel  (Ewald),  but  as  in  the  case  of  f-T^k^S,  the  former 
of  these  interpretations  is  unnatural,  and  the  latter  contradictory  of  Amos' 
explicit  utterances  concerning  the  northern  kingdom.  Wellhausen  (5  V,  V.) 
reads  nnc"in. 

8  To  refer  the  suffix  of  n^n'^JS  to  a  pKH  implied  (Hoffmann),  or  to 
Jerusalem  (Ewald),  introduces  unnecessary  confusion  into  the  sentence. 


174  AMOS. 

12.  the  remnant  of  Edom,  all  that  is  left  of  the  nation 
after  its  conquest.  It  had  revolted  against  Joram 
(2  Kings  viii.  22),  but  it  had  been  partially  reconquered 
by  Amasiah  (2  Kings  xiv.  7).  Amos  promises  that  it 
shall  be  wholly  restored  to  the  house  of  David.  See 
Ob.  18  ff.^  Nor  is  this  all ;  the  kingdom  is  to  be  restored 
to  its  original  dimensions,  says  Jehovah,  by  the  recon- 
quest  of  —  all  the  nations  over  which  my  name  has  been 
proclaimed,  all  the  nations  that  were  ever  subdued  by 
Jehovah  through  his  servants,  the  Hebrew  kings  (2  Sam. 
xii.  28) ;  not  only  Edom,  but  Moab,  Ammon,  Syria, 
and  Philistia,  thus  extending  their  dominion  from  the 
Euphrates  to  the  river  of  Egypt  (i  Kings  iv.  21). 
Compare  Keil. 

13.  the  plowman  shall  overtake  the  reaper  :  the 
growth  of  that  which  is  sown  will  be  so  prompt  and 
rapid  under  the  blessing  of  Jehovah,  that,  before  the 
husbandman  has  fairly  gotten  his  various  crops,  early 
and  late,  into  the  ground,  it  will  be  necessary  for  him  to 
begin  the  harvest.  Compare  Lev.  xxvi.  5.  In  good 
seasons  something  like  this  state  of  things  is  said  to 
take  place  in  Palestine  at  the  present  day.  See  Thom- 
son, LB,  II.  549  f.  —  he  who  treadeth  grapes  him  who 
soweth  seed  :  the  vintage  begins  in  September,  the 
seed-time  for  early  crops,  as  soon  as  the  rains,  which 
commence  in  October,  have  sufficiently  moistened  the 
ground  to  make  plowing  possible.  An  abundant  vintage, 
therefore,  would  keep  the  husbandman  busy  with  it 
until  the  time  to  sow  had  come.     See  Thomson,  LB 

1  The  translators  of  the  Septuagint,  mistaking  DHX  for  D1K  and  tt^")''^ 
for  tt'lT,  gave  to  this  passage  a  broader  meaning  than  Amos  intended,  and 
made  it  possible  for  James  (Acts  xv.  16  f.)  to  find  in  it  a  warrant  for 
admitting  the  Gentiles  to  the  Christian  church. 


TRANSLATION  AND   COMMENTS.  175 

55of. — the  mountains,  on  whose  slopes  the  vineyards 
are  planted. — shall  drop  must,  produce  rivers  of  wine. 
See  Joel  iv.  i8. 

14.  I  will  restore  my  captive  people :  it  is  a  mistake 
to  suppose  that  Amos  intended  to  represent  the  restora- 
tion, whatever  may  be  the  meaning  of  the  term,  as 
following  the  blessing  upon  the  soil  (Keil).  Vv.  11-13 
describe  the  kingdom  of  David  as  a  country.  With 
V.  14  begins  a  description  of  the  lot  of  Israel  as  belong- 
ing to  its  people.  The  restoration  here  meant,  therefore, 
may  be,  and  doubtless  is,  a  restoration  from  the  captivity 
that  the  book  throughout  threatens.  —  Israel,  the  puri- 
fied remnant  of  the  northern  kingdom,  for  it  is  not  clear 
that  Amos  expected  that  Judah  also  would  first  have  to 
suffer  captivity.  —  they  shall  rebuild  :  compare  v.  1 1 . 

15.  they  shall  not  again  be  uprooted,  always  provided 
they  continue  faithful  to  their  God.  —  I  have  given 
them,  and  they  have  now  for  a  time  forfeited  through 
disobedience  (Ex.  xv.  17 ;  Deut.  xvi.  20).  —  Jehovah,  thy 
God  :  the  change  from  the  third  to  the  second  person 
produces  the  effect  of  a  direct  personal  assurance  from 
the  Almighty  that  the  promise  given  through  his  prophet 
shall  surely  be  fulfilled. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES. 


>>«io 


AMOS  AND  THE  HEXATEUCH. 

The  student  of  the  prophecies  of  Amos  finds  repeated 
occasion  to  refer  to  the  first  six  books  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. The  prophet,  e.g.y  mentions  historical  events, 
the  details  concerning  which  are  found  only  or  chiefly 
in  the  Hexateuch.  His  attitude  toward  certain  prac- 
tices which  he  describes  as  prevalent  in  Israel  recalls 
the  legislation  commonly  ascribed  to  Moses.  He  refers 
to  customs  and  institutions  concerning  whose  origin 
and  significance  one  naturally  turns  to  the  same  source 
for  information.  Finally,  he  sometimes  uses  language 
similar  to  that  of  the  Hexateuch.  What  may  one  legit- 
imately infer  from  these  facts  }  that  Amos  was  actually 
acquainted  with  the  whole  or  any  part  of  the  Penta- 
teuch.?  that  the  author  or  authors  of  the  Pentateuch 
were  influenced  by  the  prophet  t  or  that  both  parties 
wrote  independently  of  each  other,  and  that,  therefore, 
the  coincidences  above  noticed  are  purely  accidental  .^ 
A  more  detailed  statement  of  the  facts  above  alleged 
may  help  to  a  solution  of  this  question. 

The  events  described  in  the  Pentateuch  to  which 
Amos  makes  more  or  less  distinct  allusion  are  compara- 
176 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  177 

lively  numerous,  covering  almost  the  entire  period  from 
the  Flood  to  the  occupation  of  Canaan. 

He  was  acquainted  with  the  ethnic  traditions  pre- 
served in  the  earlier  chapters  of  Genesis.  It  has  often 
been  asserted  that  there  is  no  reference  in  v.  8  and  ix.  6 
to  the  Noachian  deluge,  but  the  words  of  the  prophets 
so  naturally  recall  that  event,  that  a  reference  to  it, 
especially  in  view  of  the  connection,  can  hardly  be 
excluded.  His  statement  with  reference  to  the  origin 
of  the  Philistines  apparently  conflicts  with  that  in  Gen. 
X.  14,  but  since  it  agrees  with  that  of  Deut.  ii.  23  and 
Jer.  xlvii.  4,  the  discrepancy  is  not  considered  a  serious 
one.  The  easiest  way  to  remove  it  is  to  suppose  that, 
as  many  maintain,  the  text  of  Gen.  x.  14  is  corrupt,  and 
that  it  originally  read,  the  Kasliihites  and  the  Kaphto- 
rites  whence  went  forth  the  Philistines}  Finally,  Amos 
cites  (iv.  11)  the  overthrow  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 
with  especial  reference,  not  so  much  to  the  fact  of 
their  destruction  as  to  the  completeness  of  it,  as  if  he 
had  read  Gen.  xix.  25,  where  the  narrator  says :  He 
(Jehovah)  overthrew  those  cities y  and  all  the  Plai?ty  and 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  cities  and  that  whicJi  sprang 
from  the  ground. 

Amos  was  also  familiar  with  the  origin  of  the  Hebrews 
as  it  is  recorded  in  Genesis.  He  knew  that  the  two 
kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel  were  really  branches  of 
a  single  family,  the  whole  family  that  came  up  out  of 
Egypt  (iii.  i).  He  does  not  trace  their  descent  so  far 
back  as  Abraham,  but  he  calls  the  northern  kingdom 

1  The  reference  to  the  children  of  Cush,  ix.  7,  is  not  to  be  considered  in 
this  connection,  since  it  is  the  Cushites  of  his  own  day,  and  not  those  of  the 
Ethnic  Table  of  Genesis,  who  are  intended. 


178  AMOS. 

the  house  of  Isaac  (vii.  i6)  and  the  house  of  Jacob  (iii.  13). 
Knowing  also  that  Ephraim  was  the  son  of  Joseph,  he 
uses  the  term  the  house  of  Joseph  (v.  6)  in  the  same 
signification.  He  even  reminds  his  readers  of  the  rela- 
tion between  Jacob  and  Esau  by  calling  the  Hebrew 
the  brother  of  the  Edomite  (i.  11).     See  Num.  xx.  14. 

The  prophet  displays  a  knowledge  of  the  events  con- 
nected with  the  birth  of  the  Hebrew  nation  in  several 
passages.  There  are  probably  two  references  to  the 
sojourn  in  Egypt,  besides  those  to  the  Exodus.  The 
first  of  these  is  found  in  the  statement,  /  sent  among 
you  the  pestilence  after  the  manner  of  Egypt  (iv.  10), 
which  is  most  naturally  interpreted  as  referring  to  the 
plagues  with  which  Jehovah  afflicted  the  Egyptians 
because  they  would  not  let  the  Hebrews  go.  See  Ex. 
ix.  3,  15.  The  last  plague  with  which,  according  to  Ex. 
xii.  29,  the  Egyptians  were  smitten  was,  perhaps,  in 
the  mind  of  the  prophet  also  where  he  represents  Jeho- 
vah as  saying,  I  will  pass  through  thy  midst  (v.  17),  for 
this  is  the  way  in  which  the  plague  is  announced  (Ex. 
xii.  12).  The  Exodus  is  mentioned  no  fewer  than  three 
times  (ii.  10 ;  iii.  i  ;  ix.  7),  and  always  as  an  event  of 
transcendent  importance.  The  last  of  the  passages  cited 
(ix.  7)  seems  to  contradict  the  other  two,  but  the  con- 
tradiction is  only  apparent.  To  Amos,  as  to  the  author 
of  Exodus,  the  escape  from  Egypt  marked  the  beginning 
of  a  new  era  for  the  Hebrews,  and  deserved  to  be  held 
in  lasting  and  grateful  remembrance.     See  Ex.  xiii.  3. 

Amos  does  not  mention  Moses  or  Sinai,  but  he  does 
refer  (ii.  4)  to  a  law  and  precepts  which  Judah  had  not 
observed.^     In  the    same   connection   he  adds  a  state- 

1  On  the  genuineness  of  this  passage  see  Introductory  Studies  III. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  179 

ment  which  reminds  one  of  the  golden  calf  made  by 
Aaron  while  Moses  was  in  the  mountain  with  Jehovah 
(Ex.  xxxii.  I  £f.),  viz.  the  lies  (idols)  after  zvJiich  their 
fatJiers  went  have  led  them  also  ast7'ay.  The  subse- 
quent wanderings  of  the  Hebrews  in  the  desert  are 
more  particularly  noticed.  The  prophet  twice  (ii.  lo ; 
V.  25)  reminds  his  readers  that  they  lasted  in  all  forty 
years,  just  as  the  Hexateuch  constantly  asserts  (Num. 
xxxii.  13).  In  the  former  of  these  two  passages  (ii.  10) 
the  goal  of  the  Hebrews  when  they  left  Egypt  is  given. 
They  were  bound  for  the  land  of  the  Amorites,  a  people 
whom  Amos  describes  (ii.  9)  as  extraordinarily  tall  and 
strong,  like  the  giants  who  are  said  to  have  terrified 
most  of  the  spies  and  all  of  their  brethren  on  the 
border  of  Canaan  (Num.  xiii.  31  ff.).  With  the  help  of 
Jehovah  these  Amorites  were  destroyed  and  their  coun- 
try occupied  by  the  conquerors  (Am.  ii.  9).  See  Josh, 
x.-xi. 

The  above  quotations  from  his  book  show  that  Amos 
had  somewhere  obtained  a  knowledge  of  the  principal 
facts  of  early  Hebrew  history.  What  was  the  source 
of  his  information  }  It  is  no  longer  admissible  to  sup- 
pose that  he  was  entirely  dependent  on  tradition.  The 
Hebrews  certainly  had  a  literature  long  before  the  date 
of  the  prophet ;  for  they  were  not  the  least  cultured  of 
all  the  nations  of  Western  Asia ;  and,  not  to  speak  of 
Egypt  and  Assyria,  where  the  art  of  writing  had  been 
known  from  time  immemorial,  even  in  Moab  there  was 
sufficient  knowledge  of  letters  at  least  seventy-five 
years  earlier  to  permit  its  king  to  record  his  victory 
over  Israel  on  the  monument  known  as  the  Moabite 
Stone.     If,  now,  the    Hebrews   had  any  books,   there 


180  AMOS. 

must  have  been  among  them  one  or  more  accounts  of 
the  great  deeds  that  they  believed  Jehovah  to  have 
done  for  them.  The  Jahvistic  (J)  and  Elohistic  (E) 
documents,  portions  of  which  have  been  preserved  in 
the  Hexateuch,  were  just  such  works.  From  them,  and 
from  them  alone,  so  far  as  can  now  be  ascertained,  the 
prophet  could  have  obtained  all  the  historical  data  with 
which  he  betrays  an  acquaintance.  The  documents  J 
and  E  must,  therefore,  as  critics  generally  agree  in 
asserting,  have  existed  in  some  form  when  the  book  of 
Amos  was  written. 

An  acquaintance  with  J  and  E,  or  a  compilation  from 
them,  which  may  be  designated  as  J  E,  explains  several 
other  passages  in  Amos'  prophecies.  These  are  his 
apparent  references  to  the  moral  precepts  which  origi- 
nally belonged  to  J  or  E  and  therefore  now  from  a  part 
of  the  combined  work  J  E.  The  influence  of  this  col- 
lection of  precepts  is  discoverable,  first,  in  the  tone 
which  the  prophet  adopts  toward  Israel.  He  does  not 
attempt  to  show  them  that  the  practices  which  he  con- 
demns are  wrong,  but  he  mentions  these  practices  only 
to  condemn  them,  as  one  would  naturally  do  whose 
hearers  or  readers  were  familiar  with  some  authority  on 
the  subject.  Then,  too,  the  principal  practices,  not,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  heathen,  individual  transgressions, 
which  he  condemns,  are  such  as  J  E  distinctly  prohibits. 
Thus,  for  example,  he  dwells  upon  the  cruelty  of  the 
upper  classes  in  Israel  toward  the  lowly  and  needy 
(ii.  7 ;  iv.  i  ;  viii.  4),  as  if  he  were  applying  Ex.  xxii. 
21  ff.  or  xxiii.  9.  He  also  condemns  them  for  giving 
and  taking  bribes  and  otherwise  perverting  justice 
(ii.  6;  V.  7,  10  ff. ;  vi.  12),  as  Ex.  xxiii.  6  ff.  would  give 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  181 

him  the  right  to  do.  Perhaps  the  most  evident  refer- 
ence of  this  sort  is  that  found  ii.  8,  where  the  heartless 
voluptuaries  of  Israel  are  described  as  stretching  them- 
selves on  garments  taken  in  pledge  beside  every  altar. 
The  garments  here  meant  were  without  doubt  the  outer 
garments  of  poor  debtors  that  had  been  taken  for  debt 
and  not  returned  at  nightfall,  as  they  should  have  been 
according  to  the  provisions  of  Ex.  xxii.  26  f. 

There  are  two  passages  belonging  to  this  group  that 
seem  to  indicate  an  acquaintance  with  another  collection 
of  precepts  confessedly  ancient.  The  first  of  them  is 
the  charge  of  unchastity  in  ii.  7.  This  sin  is,  it  is  true, 
forbidden  by  the  seventh  commandment,  and  one  form 
of  it  receives  attention  in  the  Book  of  the  Covenant 
(Ex.  xxii.  16),  but  the  language  used  by  Amos  reminds 
one  of  the  Law  of  Holiness  (H  =  Lev.  xvii.-xxvi.),  the 
oldest  portion  of  the  Priestly  Document  (P),  but  espe- 
cially of  Lev.  XX.  3  ;  see  also  xviii.  2 1  ;  xix.  12;  xx.  3  ; 
xxi.  6  ;  xxii.  2,  32.  In  the  same  code,  if  it  then  existed, 
Amos  could  have  found  (Lev.  xix.  35  f.)  authority  for 
condemning  as  severely  as  he  does  (viii.  5  f.)  the  dis- 
honesty of  the  merchants  of  Israel.  There  is  no  corre- 
sponding passage  in  J  E.     On  ii.  4  see  below. 

Thus  far  nothing  has  been  said  about  references  to 
religious  institutions  and  observances  in  the  book  of 
Amos.  They  are,  in  fact,  numerous  and  important. 
From  him  we  learn  that  there  were  several  sanctuaries 
at  which,  contrary  to  the  will  of  Jehovah,  Israel  wor- 
shiped ;  one  at  Bethel  (iii.  14;  iv.  4;  v.  5),  another  at 
Dan  (viii.  14),  and  still  another  at  Gilgal  (iv.  4;  v.  5), 
within  the  limits  of  the  kingdom,  besides  that  at  Beer- 
sheba  in  Judah,  to  which  pilgrimages  were  sometimes 


182  AMOS. 

made  (v.  5  ;  viii.  14).  At  these  sanctuaries  there  were 
altars  (ii.  8  ;  iii.  14 ;  ix.  i)  with  horns  (iii.  14).  Perhaps 
the  bowls  from  which  the  revelers  of  vi.  6  drank  their 
wine  were  such  as  were  used  in  sprinkhng  the  blood  of 
victims  offered  upon  the  altars.  The  altars  were  served 
by  priests,  one  of  whom,  Amasiah,  seems  to  have  had 
the  oversight  of  matters  of  religion  at  Bethel  (vii.  10). 
Tithes  were  presented  by  worshipers  (iv.  4),  and  there 
was  at  least  one  annual  feast  (iv.  4;  v.  21),  besides  the 
new-moons  and  sabbaths  (viii.  5).  The  sacrifices  were 
of  various  kinds,  burnt-offerings,  vegetable-offerings, 
peace-offerings  (v.  22),  thank-offerings,  and  freewill- 
offerings  (iv.  5),  and  seemingly  very  numerous.  Finally, 
iv.  5  implies  that  nothing  leavened  was  ever  burned  on 
the  altar. 

The  above  citations  indicate  that  in  Israel,  and,  since, 
according  to  i  Kings  xii.  25  ff.,  the  cultus  of  the  north- 
^ern  kingdom  was  modeled  after  that  of  Judah,  among 
the  Hebrews  as  a  people,  there  existed  before  the  middle 
of  the  eighth  century  B.C.  what  deserves  the  name  of  a 
system  of  religious  institutions  and  observances.  If  this 
system  be  compared  with  that  of  which  J  E  describes 
the  origin,  it  will  be  found  that  the  latter  makes  the 
impression  of  being  simpler  and  earlier  than  the  former. 
See  Ex.  xxiii.  10-19,  but  especially  Ex.  xxxiv.  11-26. 
The  citations  in  question  cannot,  therefore,  be  used  to 
invalidate  the  conclusion  already  reached  that  J  E  is 
older  than  Amos.  On  the  other  hand,  even  the  Law  of 
Holiness,  in  its  present  form,  contains  so  many  details 
about  which  Amos  says  nothing,  that  he  can  hardly  be 
regarded  as  a  witness  to  the  existence  of  P  in  his  day. 
Moreover,  his  attitude  toward  the  ceremonialists  of  the 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  183 

time  indicates  that,  if  P  existed,  it  existed  as  a  separate 
work,  inferior  in  authority  to  J  E. 

It  remains  to  notice  any  coincidences  between  the 
language  of  Amos  and  that  of  the  Hexateuch.  The 
phrase  to  profane  my  holy  7iame  (ii.  7)  has  already  been 
quoted.  It  is  a  phrase  characteristic  of  H,  but  it  is  the 
only  one  so  clearly  borrowed  from  the  priests.  The  only 
other  passage  that  deserves  mention  is  ix.  13,  where 
Amos,  in  describing  the  future  fertility  of  the  land  of 
Canaan,  uses  a  modified  form  of  a  proverbial  expression, 
which  occurs  also  Lev.  xxvi.  5.  These  two  passages, 
taken  in  connection  with  viii.  5  f.,  quoted  above,  suggest 
some  modification  of  the  conclusion  with  reference  to  P, 
just  stated,  but  they  can  at  most  only  strengthen  the 
probability,  based  on  a  priori  considerations,  of  the 
acquaintance  of  Amos  with  some  form  of  H.^ 

The  verbal  coincidences  between  Amos  and  Deuter- 
onomy (D)  are  more  numerous,  and,  at  first  sight,  seem- 
ingly more  important.  Amos  ii.  4!  is  generally 
regarded  as  decidedly  Deuteronomic.  Hence  some 
who,  on  other  grounds,  assign  D  to  a  later  period,  feel 
forced  to  reject  the  passage  cited  as  an  interpolation. 
The  Deuteronomic  character  of  Amos'  words,  however, 
as  has  already  been  remarked  (Introductory  Studies 
III.),  is  not  unquestionable.  It  is  true  that  the  nouns 
law  and  statutes  and  the  verb  keep^  which  are  rarer  in 
other  parts  of  the  Hexateuch,  are  among  the  most  fre- 
quent words  in  the  vocabulary  of  D,  but  there  is  only 

1  Dillmann  {Nttmeri,  Deuteronomium  u.  Josua,  667)  quotes  the 
Y)hx2iSt  great  deep  (Am.  vii.  4;  Gen.  vii.  ii)  as  indicating  an  acquaintance 
with  P  as  a  whole,  but  he  does  not  lay  any  stress  upon  it. 

2  nmn,  D^pn,  ^t:w. 


184  AMOS, 

one  passage  (xvii.  19)  which  closely  resembles  Am.  ii.  4, 
and  that  is  not  perfectly  parallel,  while  the  verb  trans- 
lated contemn}  though  it  is  found  in  J  E  (Num.  xi.  20), 
and  is  used  three  times  in  Lev.  xxvi.  (H),  does  not 
occur  at  all  in  D.  The  word  destroy  ^  is  another  favorite 
both  of  Amos  (five  times)  and  D  (twenty-nine  times), 
but  the  nearest  parallel  to  the  first  passage  in  which  the 
prophet  uses  it  (ii.  9)  is  Josh.  xxiv.  8,  in  E's  account  of 
the  conquest  of  the  Amorites  beyond  the  Jordan.  Am. 
ix.  8,  on  the  other  hand,  has  the  same  form  of  expres- 
sion as  Deut.  vi.  15.  In  Am.  ii.  10  the  statement,  I  led 
you  in  the  desert  forty  years,  differs  only  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  words  from  Deut.  xxix.  4,  but  the  infinitive 
to  possess,  which  is  very  frequent  in  D,  is  there  used  by 
the  prophet  in  a  construction  peculiar  to  him.  There 
are  three  pairs  of  words  that  have  sometimes  been 
regarded  as  indicating  the  dependence  of  Amos  on  D, 
viz.  oppress  and  cnish^  (Am.  iv.  i  ;  Deut.  xxviii.  33), 
blight  and  decay  ^  (Am.  iv.  9;  Deut.  xxviii.  22),  and^<^// 
and  wormwood^  (Am.  vi.  12  ;  Deut.  xxix.  17).  The  last 
is  the  only  one  of  the  three  so  used  as  to  give  any 
ground  for  such  a  suggestion,  and  in  its  case  there  is  as 
much  reason  for  asserting  the  dependence  of  D  upon 
Amos  as  the  contrary.  On  Am.  iv.  i  see  i  Sam.  xii.  3, 
and  on  iv.  9,  Hag.  ii.  17.  Am.  vi.  13,  where  Israel  are 
represented  as  boasting  :  Have  we  fiot  in  our  strength 
taken  to  ourselves  hortts,  recalls  Deut.  xxxiii.  17.  This 
latter  passage,  however,  belongs  to  an  excerpt  from  some 
work  considerably  older  than  D,  with  which  Amos  may 
well  have  been  acquainted.     On  ix.  15  see  Ex.  xx.  12. 

2  ^aty.  *  pantr,  ]yp'\\ 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES,  185 

It  is  plain  that  there  are,  after  all,  very  few  points  of 
resemblance  in  language  between  Amos  and  D.  If 
now  these  be  explained  as  the  result  of  dependence 
of  the  former  upon  the  latter,  it  will  be  difficult  to 
understand  why  the  prophet  was  not  more  deeply 
influenced.  That  D,  if  he  was  acquainted  with  it,  did 
not  produce  the  effect  upon  him  that  might  have  been 
expected  no  one  can  deny.  The  tone  of  his  prophecies 
is  entirely  different  from  that  of  the  last  words  of 
Moses.  He  demands  justice  and  righteousness;  they 
command  love  and  charity.  Other  points  of  diversity 
might  be  mentioned,  as  for  example,  Amos'  silence  with 
reference  to  the  centralization  of  worship,  on  which 
D  is  so  explicit ;  but  this  alone  seems  sufficient  to  out- 
weigh any  linguistic  similarity  that  can  be  discovered, 
and  forces  upon  one  the  conclusion  that  if  D  existed 
when  he  wrote,  it  was  unknown  to  the  prophet. 


II. 

THE  THEOLOGY  OF  AMOS. 

Amos  was  a  special  messenger  of  Jehovah.  It  was 
his  duty  to  declare  his  divine  Master's  attitude  toward, 
and  purpose  concerning,  Israel  in  view  of  their  actual 
condition  in  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  II.  His  book  is  a 
record  of  his  mission.  Therefore,  though  full  of  grand 
truths  grandly  expressed,  it  is  anything  but  a  system 
of  doctrine.  The  most  that  can  be  said  is  that  it 
contains  the  materials  of  a  more  or  less  complete 
theology. 


186  AMOS. 

It  is  desirable  for  several  reasons  that  these  materials 
be  put  into  scientific  form  and  order.  It  will  thus,  e.g.y 
become  even  clearer  than  the  prophet  himself  has  made 
it  what  he  meant  to  teach,  and  it  will  become  possible 
to  compare  his  teachings  with  those  of  the  other  sacred 
authors,  especially  the  prophets.  These  are  the  ends 
sought  in  the  following  statement  of  what  Amos  taught 
expressly  or  by  implication  about  God,  man,  and  their 
mutual  relations. 

First,  then,  How  did  Amos  represent  God } 
^  The  name  by  which  the  prophet  most  frequently 
-^  refers  to  the  Deity  is  Jehovah  (Yahweh).  This  he  uses 
in  every  variety  of  expression  and  construction,  and  no 
fewer  than  fifty-two  times.^  The  word  God?  on  the 
other  hand,  occurs  but  once  alone  as  a  proper  name 
(iv.  ii),  and  then  in  a  phrase  which  is  probably  either 
a  proverb  or  a  quotation  (see  Isa.  xiii.  19).  Once,  and 
only  once,  at  the  very  end  of  the  book  (ix.  15),  it  is 
used  as  an  appellative  in  the  tender  and  suggestive 
expression  so  frequent  in  Deuteronomy,  JehovaJi  thy 
God.  A  third  name.  Lord?  is  found  alone  three  times 
in  the  visions  of  Part  III.  (vii.  7,  8;  ix.  i).  It  is  much 
more  frequently  prefixed  t^  Jeh§vah.^  In  this  construc- 
tion it  occurs  nineteen  times,^  eleven  times  in  the  last 
three  chapters,  but  nowhere  in  the  book  does  it  seem  to 
add  any  emphasis  to  Jehovah,  or  Jehovah  to  increase 

1  i.  2,  3,  5,  6,  9,  II,  13,  15;  ii.  I,  3,  4  bis,  6,  ii,  i6;  iii.  i,  6,  lo,  12,  15; 
iv.  3,  6,  8,  9,  10,  II;  V.  4,  6,  8,  17,  18  bis,  20;  vi.  10,  ii;  vii.  3  bis,  6,  8, 
15  bis,  17;  viii.  2,  7,  II,  12;   ix.  6,  7,  8,  12,  13,  15. 

^  i.  8;  iii.  7,  8,  ii;  iv.  2,  5;  v.  3;  vi.  8;  vii.  i,  2,  4  bis,  5,  6;  viii.  I,  3, 
9,  II;   ix.  8. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  187 

its  force. ^  There  are  longer  combinations,  however, 
that  are  evidently  intended  to  be  emphatic.  The  most 
common  is  Jehovah  God  of  hosts ^'^  which  is  used  six 
times,^  but  Lord  Jehovah  of  hosts  ^  (ix.  5),  and  even  Lord 
Jehovah y  God  of  hosts  ^  (iii.  13),  and  Jehovah^  God  of 
hosts y  the  Lord^  (v.  16),  also  occur.  Such  titles  are  cal- 
culated to  add  solemnity  to  a  passage  in  which  the 
character  of  Jehovah  is  described  (iv.  13)  or  his  purpose 
announced  (vi.  8). 

Amos   habitually  uses  the  name  by  which  he  had 
been   taught   that   God   had   revealed    himself   to    the 
Hebrews,  but  to  him  Jehovah  was  more  than  a  local^ 
or  national  deity.      This  is  apparent  as  soon  as  one  J 
begins  to  notice  the  attributes  which  he  ascribes  to  him. 

The  power  of  Jehovah  according  to  Amos  is  almighty. 
There  is  a  hint  of  it  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  book 
(i.  2),  where,  even  at  the  sound  of  Jehovah's  voice, 
nature  is  represented  as  manifesting  terror.  It  is  also 
suggested  by  v.  9  and  vi.  12  f.,  and  by  the  n'SiVcvQ  Jehovah, 
God  of  hosts  wherever  it  occurs.  These  passages,  how- 
ever, are  very  indefinite  compared  with  others.  There 
are  several  in  which  Amos  attempts  a  description  of 
the  power  of  Jehovah.  It  was  displayed  in  the  creation 
of  the  world,  for  Jehovah  formed  the  viountaiiis  and 
created  the  wind  (iv.  13).  The  heavens  also  are  his 
work.     It  was  he  who  reared  their  blue  vault  and  fixed 

1  Compare  iii.  8  with  i.  2;  v.  3  with  i.  3;  iv.  5  with  ii.  ii;  iv.  2  with 
viii.  7  and  vii,  i  with  vii.  7. 

2  n'Kn::  ^■^bK  m.T  or  rr)^iir\  ^'^bK  mn\ 

8  iv.  13;  V.  14,  15,  27;  vi.  8,  14. 

*  n'sn::n  mn^  *nK.  ^  T\ytic:ir\  ^'^'?K  m.T  ^nK. 

8  "HK  n:^'zi  ^•^'7X  m.T. 


188  AMOS. 

it  over  the  earth  (ix.  6),  and  he  made  Orion  and  the 
Pleiades  and  all  the  rest  of  the  gems  with  which  it  is 
adorned  (v.  8).  It  is  clear  that  Amos  believed,  what 
the  Septuagint  in  the  last  passage  quoted  makes  him 
say,  that  the  God  of  the  Hebrews  made  all  thhigs. 

Jehovah's  power  is  manifest  also  in  the  various  phases 
and  processes  of  nature.  He  turns  darkness  to  light 
and  light  to  darkness  as  often  as  day  and  night  inter- 
change (v.  8).  It  is  especially  apparent  in  the  control 
which  he  exercises  over  nature  to  the  advantage  or  dis- 
advantage of  man.  If  he  so  wills,  the  earth  produces 
with  such  abundance  that  the  husbandman  is  over- 
whelmed by  its  fruitfulness  (ix.  13).  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  he  refuses  his  blessing,  nature  refuses  to  respond 
to  the  efforts  of  man,  and  transforms  itself  into  a  ter- 
rible enemy.  Then  follows  famine  throughout  the  land 
(iv.  6),  or  drought  such  that  the  inhabitants  wander 
from  place  to  place  for  water  unsatisfied  (iv.  7  f.). 
Sometimes  blight  and  decay  destroy  the  grain,  or  locusts 
devour  the  vineyards  and  the  fig  and  olive  orchards 
(iv.  9),  or  pestilence  carries  man  and  beast  to  destruc- 
tion (iv.  10).  Nor  is  this  the  worst;  for  Jehovah  can 
and  does  make  the  earth  rock,  and  as  in  the  day  when 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  overthrown,  utterly  devour 
those  who  dwell  on  it  (iv.  11).  Indeed,  Amos  refers 
everything  that  befalls  man,  good  or  evil,  to  Jehovah. 
If  evil  befall  a  city,  is  it  710 1  Jehovah  zuho  hath  zvr ought 
it? 

Finally,  Amos  finds  evidence  of  Jehovah's  power  in 
the  conduct  of  history.  It  was  he  who  brought  the 
Hebrews  out  of  bondage  in  Egypt  (ii.  10)  and  gave 
them  the  land  of  the   Amorites   for   their   possession 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  189 

(ii.  9).  He  also  presided  over  the  migrations  of  the 
Philistines  and  the  Syrians,  bringing  the  former  from 
Caphtor,  and  the  latter  from  Kir  (ix.  7).  He  holds  all 
the  nations  in  his  hand,  and  when  he  will  uses  one  of 
them  to  destroy  another.  He  declares  that  he  will  send 
the  Assyrians  against  Israel,  as  well  as  their  neigh- 
bors, and  give  them  the  lordship  over  his  people  from 
the  entrance  to  Hamath  unto  the  stream  of  the  Arabah 
(vi.  14). 

Jehovah  is  not  only  almighty,  he  is  everywhere  equally 
powerful.  This  doctrine  is  implied  in  several  of  the 
passages  already  cited.  It  would,  for  example,  be 
unnatural  to  suppose  that  he  who  made  the  world 
could  be  confined  to  any  part  of  it.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  is  natural  to  infer  that  he  who  governs  the  world  and 
controls  the  movements  of  its  inhabitants  must  in  some 
sense  be  present  in  all  parts  of  it.  This  doctrine  is 
distinctly  taught  in  the  remarkable  passage  explanatory 
of  the  fifth  vision  (ix.  2-4),  in  which  Jehovah  is  repre- 
sented as  declaring  that  no  place  is  so  deep  or  high  as 
to  be  beyond  his  power  ;  that  whether  his  enemies  hide 
themselves  in  the  wild  thickets  of  Carmel  or  the  dark 
caverns  of  the  Mediterranean,  his  hand  can  still  reach 
them,  and  that,  even  when  they  have  been  driven  into 
captivity  by  their  enemies,  he  will  follow  and  destroy 
them.  The  prophet  could  hardly  have  said  more 
distinctly  that  Jehovah  was  omnipresent  as  well  as 
omnipotent. 

There  is  but  an  easy  step  from  this  point  to  mono- 
theism, and  Amos  seems  to  have  taken  it.  One  cannot 
well  explain  a  number  of  passages  in  his  book  on  any 
other  supposition.     It  is  remarkable,  e.g.,  that  in  his 


190  AMOS. 

arraignment  and  condemnation  of  the  nations  in  Israel's 
vicinity  (i.-ii.),  each  of  which  had  a  reUgion  of  its  own, 
their  so-called  gods  are  entirely  ignored.  So,  also,  in 
ix.  7.  This  last  passage  amounts  to  a  denial  of  the 
existence  of  other  deities  than  Jehovah.  The  Philis- 
tines and  the  Syrians  certainly  did  not  need  them.  If 
more  positive  evidence  on  the  point  in  question  is 
wanted,  it  can  be  found  in  the  terms  in  which  the 
prophet  refers  to  idols.  Sakkuth  is  a  mere  image  of 
wood  or  stone,  the  work  of  human  hands,  that  must  be 
carried  about  from  place  to  place  by  those  who  worship 
it  (v.  26).  Nay,  it  and  all  the  rest  of  its  kind  are  /ies, 
symbols  for  purely  imaginary  divinities,  by  which  men 
are  tempted  to  their  own  destruction  (ii.  4).  The  infer- 
ence is  that  Jehovah,  and  Jehovah  alone,  is  God. 

The  moral  attributes  of  Jehovah  are  not  less  clearly 
depicted  by  Amos  than  those  already  noticed.  Indeed, 
the  prophet  dwells  on  the  irresistible,  inescapable  power 
of  God  only  for  the  sake  of  enforcing  demands  growing 
out  of  his  character.  The  attribute  of  justice  or  right-\ 
eousness  is  especially  prominent.  All  those  places  in 
which  Jehovah  is  represented  as  condemning  injustice 
or  unrighteousness  might  be  cited  in  this  connection. 
The  first  words  addressed  to  Israel  are  very  significant. 
Jehovah  condemns  them  because  they  sell  for  money  the 
guiltless  and  the  needy  for  a  pair  of  shoes y  etc.  (ii.  6  ff.). 
These  charges  are  often  repeated.  The  Egyptians  and 
the  Philistines  are  summoned  to  Samaria  to  see  the  man- 
ifold uproar  tJierein  and  oppression  i7t  Jier  7nidst  (iii.  9). 
The  kine  of  Bashan^  in  the  mountain  of  Samaria,  are 
described  as  oppressing  the  lowly  and  crushing  the 
needy  (iv.  i).     The  nobles,  generally,  trample  upon  the 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  191 

lowly  and  take  a  present  of  grain  from  him  (v.  1 1) ;  they 
are  persecutors  of  the  guiltless^  and  the  needy  they  thrust 
aside  in  the  gate  (v.  12).  Indeed,  such  is  the  state  of 
things  that  one  cannot  hope  for  justice,  for  these  wicked 
nobles  turn  justice  to  wormwood  and  cast  righteousness 
to  the  ground.  Another  form  of  iniquity  is  dishonesty 
in  trade  of  the  most  outrageous  character  (viii.  4  ff.). 
The  most  aggravated  form  of  unrighteousness  seems  to 
be  described  in  the  complaint.  They  hate  in  the  gate 
one  who  trproveth,  ajid  one  who  speaketh  npi'ightly  they 
abhor  {y.  10),  and  the  case  summed  up  in  the  assertion, 
they  knoiv  not  how  to  do  right  (iii.  10).  This  unsparing 
inquisition  and  uncompromising  condemnation  of  the 
unrighteousness  of  Israel  leave  no  doubt  with  reference 
to  the  character  of  Jehovah.  The  conviction  \\\'3X  judg- 
ment and^  righteousness  are  the  foundation  of  his  tJirone 
is  only  deepened  by  the  exhortations  to  which  the 
prophet  now  and  then  gives  utterance.  Seek  good  and 
not  evil  iy.  14),  he  pleads.  Hate  evil  and  love  goody  a7id 
establisJi  J7idgment  in  the  gate  /  (v.  15).  Let  justice  roll  as 
water,  and  righteousness  like  a  living  stream  !  Finally, 
the  justice  of  Jehovah  is  illustrated  by  the  care  with 
which  he  promises  to  preserve  the  innocent  when  those 
who  have  offended  him  are  destroyed  (ix.  15).  There 
is  no  book  in  the  Old  Testament  in  which  the  righteous- 
ness of  Israel's  God  is  more  strongly  emphasized  than 
it  is  in  that  of  Amos. 

One  cannot  deny  that  the  character  of  Jehovah,  as 
drawn  by  Amos,  is  stern  in  its  outlines.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, without  its  tender  features,  —  features  which 
appear  the  more  tender  because  parts  of  the  same 
whole   with   sterner   lineaments.       The   tenderness   of 


192  AMOS. 

Jehovah  manifests  itself  especially  in  pity  for  the  unfor- 
tunate and  longsuffering  toward  those  who  disregard 
his  will. 

Jehovah  is  pitiful ;  otherwise  he  would  not  so  severely 
as  he  does  condemn  the  Syrians  and  others  for  the 
opposite  quality.  Damascus  is  doomed  because  its 
people  tJiresJied  Gilead  with  ironsJiod  sledges  (i.  3)  ;  Gaza, 
because  the  Philistines  led  the  Jews  completely  captive  to 
deliver  them  to  Edom  (i.  6)  ;  Edom,  because  he  pursued 
his  brother  with  the  sword,  stifling  his  pity  while  his 
wrath  ever  re7it  and  his  fury  he  nursed  without  ceasing 
(i.  11);  and  the  children  of  Ammon,  because ///^j/ ^z>- 
emboweled  tJie  pregnant  ivomen  of  Gilead  for  the  sake  of 
enlarging  their  border  (i.  13).  The  most  touching  evi- 
dence of  the  tenderness  of  the  heart  of  Jehovah,  how- 
ever, is  found  in  the  lament  (v.  2)  in  which  he  bewails 
the  fate  of  Israel  when  it  seems  too  late  to  save  them : 

Fallen,  not  to  rise  again, 

Is  virgijt  Israel  ; 
She  is  hurled  tipon  her  soil, 

With  none  to  raise  her  up  ! 

and  the  exhortations  (v.  4  ff.,  14  f.,  24)  by  which  he 
still  tries  to  save  them  from  destruction. 

Jehovah  is  longsuffering ;  of  this  fact  there  is  proof 
on  every  page  of  the  book  of  Amos.  As  one  reads  the 
indictment  against  Israel  one  wonders  that  they  were 
allowed  to  add  sin  to  sin  so  long  as  they  were.  When 
they  strayed  from  him  he  warned  them  instead  of 
destroying  them,  for  the  Lord  Jehovah  doeth  naught 
except  he  have  revealed  his  purpose  to  his  servants  the 
prophets  (iii.  7);  and  though  they  despised  reproof  and 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  193 

attempted  to  silence  his  messengers  (ii.  12),  he  did  not 
forsake  them,  but  sent,  one  after  another,  his  chastise- 
ments, to  bring  them  back  to  their  allegiance  (iv.  6  ff.). 
It  was  only  when  they  refused  to  heed  the  direst  calam- 
ities that  mercy  gave  place  to  justice.  This  is  the 
meaning  of  the  series  of  visions  with  which  the  seventh 
chapter  begins.  First  the  locusts  and  then  the  fire 
threatens  to  devastate  the  land,  but  at  the  intercession 
of  the  prophet  it  is  spared.  Finally  the  plumb-line  is 
dropped  in  the  midst  of  Israel,  and  their  doom  as  a 
people  is  sealed. 

The  total  effect  of  Amos'  representation  of  Jehovah 
is  to  inspire  awe  and  submission.  These  sentiments 
find  expression  in  the  predicate  holy.  Holiness,  ac- 
cording to  the  prophets,  is  not  strictly  an  attribute  of 
Jehovah,  for  they  mean  by  it  not  a  moral  quality  of  the 
divine  nature,  but  a  manifestation  of  his  majesty.  Amos 
twice  uses  the  term  holiness  in  this  sense.  He  declares, 
for  instance,  that  the  licentiousness  of  Israel  is  a  profa- 
nation of  Jehovah's  holy  name  (ii.  7),  i.e.  as  appears 
from  Isa.  i.  4  and  iii.  8,  his  glorious  name,  or  his  divine 
majesty.  The  threat  to  destroy  the  female  voluptuaries 
of  Samaria  is  confirmed  by  an  oath  by  his  holiness^  i.e. 
by  himself  (iv.  2  ;  compare  vi.  8).^ 

The  Almighty,  Maker  and  Ruler  of  all  things,  perfect 
in  righteousness,  and  equally  wonderful  in  his  tenderness 
toward  his  creatures,  —  such,  according  to  Amos,  is 
Jehovah,  the  God  of  the  Hebrews.  Of  man,  as  man, 
there  is  not  so  complete  a  picture. 

1  On  this  general  subject  see  Baudissin,  Studien  II.  78  ff.;  Schultz,  Alt 
testamentliche  Theologie,  554  fF.;  Duhm,  Theologie  der  Prophetetiy  169  flf.; 
W.  Robertson  Smith,  PI,  224  f. 


194  AMOS. 

The  first  characteristic  of  man,  as  described  by  the 
prophet,  to  attract  attention,  is  his  weakness,  as  com- 
pared with  his  creator.  The  gigantic  Amorites  were 
no  match  for  Jehovah  when  he  led  his  people  out  of 
Egypt  (ii.  9).  The  stoutest  of  heart  among  the  mighty 
in  Israel  cannot  hope  to  resist  him  (ii.  16).  He  can 
reach  and  destroy  them  even  behind  their  strongest 
defenses  (v.  9),  or  he  can  take  and  scatter  them  among 
the  nations  as  one  tosses  grain  in  a  sieve  (ix.  9).  The 
most  forcible  passage  bearing  upon  this  point  is  iv.  12  f,, 
the  gist  of  which  is  that  it  is  simply  madness  for  man  to 
contend  with  God.     See  also  vi.  12  f. 

A  second  question  respects  the  moral  condition  of 
man  by  nature.  On  this  point  the  general  tone  of 
Amos'  book  might  lead  one  to  expect  to  find  him  teach- 
ing something  like  the  innate  depravity  of  the  race. 
This,  however,  is  not  the  case  ;  for,  though  he  condemns 
the  nations  one  after  another,  he  always  treats  their 
sins,  not  as  the  fruit  of  an  evil  principle,  but  as  ugly 
excrescences  on  human  nature.  In  other  words,  he 
teaches  that  man  by  nature  is  neither  good  nor  bad,  but 
simply  endowed  with  a  capacity  for  moral  character. 

In  accordance  with  this  general  doctrine  Amos  repre- 
sents even  the  heathen  as  possessed  of  a  knowledge  of 
the  difference  between  right  and  wrong.  He  probably 
regarded  it,  like  the  notion  of  cause  and  effect  (iii.  3  ff.), 
as  a  natural  endowment,  which,  in  the  case  of  the 
Hebrews,  had  been  supplemented  by  special  revelation. 
He  does  not  deny  the  universality  of  this  faculty  when 
he  declares  that  Israel  knozv  not  Jiozv  to  do  right  (iii.  10). 
He  would  not  hold  them  responsible  for  not  having 
anything  that  they  had  not  received.     What  he  means 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  195 

is  that  having  been  endowed  with  the  ability  to  distin- 
guish between  right  and  wrong  they  have  ceased  to 
exercise  it,  and  thus  reduced  themselves  to  a  condition 
in  Jehovah's  sight  inferior  to  that  of  the  Philistines  and 
Egyptians  who  are  summoned  to  act  as  their  judges 
(iii.  9).  Hence  the  severity  of  the  sentence  pronounced 
against  them. 

A  second  endowment,  which  is  everywhere  in  the 
book  of  Amos  taken  for  granted,  is  moral  freedom. 
This  is  implied  in  every  accusation  brought  and  every 
sentence  pronounced.  It  is  most  clearly  taught  in  the 
charge  that  Israel,  young  and  old,  indulge  in  uncleanness, 
for  the  sake  of  p7vfa7iing,  that  is,  although  they  know  that 
in  so  doing  they  profane,  the  holy  name  of  their  God 
(ii.  7).  It  is  prominent,  also,  in  the  refrain  in  which  the 
failure  of  Jehovah  to  restore  Israel  to  their  allegiance 
is  lamented  (iv.  6  ff.);  for  there  would  be  no  reproach 
in  the  statement,  Yet  ye  rettirned  not  ii7ito  me,  if  Jehovah 
himself  were  responsible  for  the  result.  Finally,  the 
exhortations  which  Amos  addresses  to  Israel  become 
mockery  unless  freedom  to  yield  to  them  be  presup- 
posed. In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  notice 
that  according  to  Amos  the  freedom  of  the  will  may 
survive  when  the  capacity  for  moral  distinctions  has 
practically  perished  ;  for  those  who  know  not  hozv  to  do 
right  are  the  very  persons  whom  he  exhorts  to  hate  evil 
and  love  good,  that  they  may  live  (y.  10,  15). 

It  remains  to  consider  God  and  man  as  the  prophet 
pictures  them  in  their  relation  to  each  other. 

It  is  plain  that  the  normal  relation  between  Jehovah 
and  his  creatures  must  be  one  of  limitless  beneficence 
on  the  one  side  and  reverent  obedience  on  the  other. 


196  AMOS, 

Jehovah  is  good  to  all  men.  This  universal  beneficence 
is  displayed  in  his  care  for  their  interests.  Thus,  for 
example,  according  to  the  prophet,  he  directed  the 
migrations  of  the  Philistines  and  the  Egyptians  as  well 
as  those  of  the  Hebrews  (ix.  7).  Upon  the  Hebrews, 
however,  he  has  bestowed  especial  blessings  (iii.  2), 
rescuing  them  from  slavery,  granting  them  the  land  of 
Canaan  as  a  possession  (ii.  9  f.),  and  making  them 
among  the  most  prosperous  of  peoples  (vi.  2).  The 
prophet  does  not  give  any  reason  for  the  favor  shown 
the  Hebrews,  but  he  could  doubtless  have  explained  it 
without  reflecting  upon  the  justice  of  Jehovah  to  other 
peoples.  Had  not  they,  and  they  alone,  however  imper- 
fectly they  afterward  served  him,  formally  recognized 
in  him  the  true  God } 

The  duty  of  man  to  God,  as  above  indicated,  is  rev- 
erent obedience.  In  the  case  of  the  nations  who  have 
received  no  further  revelation  of  his  will,  this  rneans  a 
faithful  observance  of  what  Paul  calls  the  law  written 
in  their  Jicarts  (Rom.  ii.  15).  It  forbids  cruelty,  for 
example.  When,  therefore,  they  show  mercy  to  the 
weak  or  wretched,  they  thus,  even  if  they  do  not  know 
him  by  this  name,  honor  Jehovah.  The  case  of  the 
Hebrews,  according  to  Amos,  does  not  differ  from  that 
of  other  peoples  so  much  as  might  be  imagined.  They 
know  that  Jehovah  is  God,  hence  they  are  forbidden  to 
serve  other  so-called  deities,  but  the  service  which  he 
requires  of  them  is  of  the  same  sort  as  that  which  he 
receives  of  those  to  whom  he  is  an  unknown  God. 
He  has  no  pleasure  in  offerings  and  sacrifices  in  them- 
selves considered  (iv.  4f. ;  v.  21  ff.) ;  and,  strange  as  it 
may  seem,  he  does  not  prescribe  any  state  of  mind  or 


SUPPLEMEirrARY  STUDIES.  197 

heart  toward  him  or  one's  fellows  as  necessary  that  one 
may  secure  his  favor.  It  is  good,  not  God  or  man,  that 
Israel  are  exhorted  to  love  (v.  15).  Amos,  therefore, 
might  have  stated  the  whole  duty  of  Israel  as  Micah 
afterward  stated  it,  when  he  said  (vi.  8)  :  What  doth 
Jehovah  require  of  thee  but  to  do  justice  and  love  mercy 
and  walk  Jiuinbly  with  thy  God? 

The  actual  relation  between  God  and  man,  as  described 
by  Amos,  is  one  of  almost  universal  alienation/  The 
heathen  within  the  prophet's  horizon  have  repeatedly 
violated  the  plainest  dictates  of  humanity  (i.-ii.).  Judah 
have  contevined  the  law  of  Jehovah  and  have  not  observed 
his  statutes  (ii.  4).  As  for  Israel,  they  have  exactly 
reversed  the  command  of  their  God,  and  learned  to 
love,  not  good,  but  evil,  while  they  hate  in  the  gate  one 
who  repivveth,  aiid  one  who  speaketh  uprightly  they  abhor 
(v.  10).  This  is  a  dark  picture,  but  it  is  not  so  dark  as 
it  at  first  sight  appears ;  for  the  prophet,  sweeping  as 
are  his  denunciations,  does  not  teach  that  the  estrange- 
ment between  God  and  man  is  literally  universal,  or 
that  it  is  absolutely  impossible  for  the  worst  of  apos- 
tates to  return  to  Jehovah.  He  knows,  indeed,  that 
there  are  still  some  good  kernels  in  the  seemingly  worth- 
less mass  of  Israel  (ix.  9),  and  he  hopes  to  add  to  their 
number  almost  to  the  last.  What,  now,  is  the  effect 
upon  Jehovah  of  the  disobedience  of  his  creatures  ? 
Amos  answers  without  hesitation.  It  has  forced  him 
to  use  his  power  to  the  injury  rather  than  for  the  bene- 
fit of  mankind ;  for  to  the  prophet  the  secret  of  all  the 
ills  to  which  men  are  exposed  is  sin.  Not  that  suffer- 
ing is,  properly  speaking,  the  effect  of  transgression. 
His  idea  is  that  when  men  sin,  Jehovah,  after  warning 


198  AMOS, 

them  through  his  prophets,  at  first  afflicts  them  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  them  back  to  him  (iv.  6  ff.),  but 
that  if  they  do  not  respond  to  his  chastisements  he 
employs  the  same  means  for  their  destruction.  There 
are  certain  passages  from  which  one  would  conclude 
that  men  are  chastised  or  destroyed  by  communities 
and  not  as  individuals,  so  that  sometimes  the  innocent 
have  to  suffer  with  the  guilty.  Toward  the  end  of  his 
book,  however,  Amos  is  careful  to  vindicate  the  justice 
of  Jehovah  by  explaining  that  it  is  the  sinners  among 
Israel  who  are  doomed  to  destruction  (ix.  lo).  Those 
who  remain  faithful  to  him  are  assured  that  he  will  not 
permit  them  to  perish  (ix.  9). 

Amos  has  nothing  to  say  with  reference  to  the  fate 
of  sinners  beyond  the  visitation  with  which  he  threatens 
them.  It  was  not  necessary  that  he  should  express  him- 
self on  the  subject.  Those  who  were  destined  to  be 
preserved,  on  the  other  hand,  had  a  right  to  expect 
something  respecting  their  future,  and  he  does  not  dis- 
appoint them.  The  prospect  which  he  reveals  to  them, 
however,  is  purely  temporal ;  for  all  that  he  promises 
them  is  the  return  of  the  golden  age  of  Hebrew  history. 
Judah  and  Israel  are  to  be  reunited  under  the  house 
of  David  and  the  remnant  of  the  neighboring  nations 
reconquered  in  the  name  of  Jehovah.  Then,  so  abun- 
dantly will  the  land  be  blessed,  the  plowman  shall  over- 
take the  reaper^  and  he  who  treadeth  grapes  J  dm  who 
soweth  seedy  and  the  mountains  shall  drop  viiisty  and  all 
the  hills  flow  therewith  (ix.  13).  And  then  .?  Amos  makes 
no  reply.  Would  the  value  of  his  prophecies  to  those 
to  whom  they  were  addressed  have  been  greatly  en- 
hanced if  he  had  answered  this  question  t 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  199 

III. 
AMOS  AMONG  THE  PROPHETS. 

Amos  belonged  to  a  succession  of  prophets,  all  of 
whom  acknowledged  the  same  authority  and  pursued 
the  same  general  object.  It  is  therefore  natural  to 
expect  to  find  points  of  contact  between  him  and  those 
who  followed,  as  well  as  those,  if  there  are  any  whose 
works  have  survived,  who  preceded  him ;  and  one  who 
has  made  his  book  a  study  will  also  expect  to  find  that 
he  influenced  later  prophets  more  than  he  was  influ- 
enced by  possible  predecessors. 

At  the  outset  it  is  necessary  to  settle  the  question, 
whether  any  of  the  prophetical  books  preserved  in  the 
Hebrew  canon  antedate  that  of  Amos.  It  has  always 
been  held  that  Joel  and  Obadiah  lived  and  wrote  before 
Amos,  and  this  opinion  still  has  able  defenders ;  ^  but, 
of  late,  many  have  felt  forced  to  assign  the  first  two 
to  a  much  later  period,  and  thus  leave  the  last  at  the 
head  of  the  list  of  prophets.^  The  subject  has  already 
received  passing  attention,  and  a  preference  for  the 
latter  view  has  been  acknowledged  (p.  54).  The  rea- 
sons given  for  believing  Joel  earlier  than  Amos  are  the 
following :  The  relative  position  of  the  two  books  in 
the  canon  indicates  that  this  was  the  opinion  of  the 
compilers  of  the  collection  to  which  they  belong.     The 

1  See  Credner,  Der  Prophet  Joel ;  Reuss,  Die  Geschichte  der  heiligen 
Schriften  Alien  Testaments ;  W.  J.  Beecher,  The  Historical  Sittiatioji  in 
Joel,  Amos,  and  Obadiah,  in  the  Jourtial  of  Biblical  Literature  for  1888. 

2  See  Merx,  Die  Prophetie  des  Joel  und  ihre  Ausleger ;  Farrar,  The 
Minor  Prophets  ;  Driver,  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment;  G.  A.  Smith,  The  Book  of  the  Twelve  Prophets. 


200  AMOS. 

phrase  /  will  net  revoke  it,  so  often  repeated  by  Amos, 
leads  one  to  expect  references  to  an  earlier  work ;  and 
the  parallels  between  his  book  and  that  of  Joel  are 
explained  as  instances  of  such  dependence.  A  third 
argument  is  based  on  a  study  of  the  historical  back- 
ground of  Joel.  Amos  describes  the  PhiHstines,  the 
Phoenicians,  and  the  Edomites  as  concerned  in  an  inva- 
sion of  Palestine  that  seems  to  have  been  that  in  the 
reign  of  Joram  (2  Kings  viii.  22;  2  Chron.  xxi.  16). 
These,  with  the  Egyptians,  who  made  a  similar  invasion 
in  the  reign  of  Rehoboam  (i  Kings  xiv.  25),  the  early 
enemies  of  the  Hebrews,  are  the  nations  that  Joel 
threatens  with  the  vengeance  of  Jehovah.  Hence, — 
and  his  silence  with  reference  to  the  Assyrians  and  the 
Babylonians  is  supposed  to  point  in  the  same  direction, 
—  it  is  concluded  that  he  preceded  Amos,  having  proba- 
bly delivered  his  message  in  the  early  part  of  the  reign 
of  Joash.  This  position,  however,  cannot  be  maintained. 
The  reasons  given  for  it  are  not  so  strong  as  they  were 
once  regarded ;  since  it  has  become  clear,  that  the  order 
of  the  books  in  the  canon  furnishes  an  insecure  basis 
for  argument  concerning  their  dates,  and  that  parallel 
passages  may  sometimes  be  used  on  either  side  in  a 
controversy.  The  conclusion  above  drawn  from  histori- 
cal references,  also,  is  unsound ;  because  it  ignores  data 
of  great  significance,  especially  the  evidence  that,  when 
the  book  was  written,  Judah  and  Israel  were  convertible 
terms  (ii.  i,  27 ;  iv.  i  f.,  16),  and  that  these  names  denote 
the  dependent  community  of  the  period  of  the  Restora- 
tion (i.  2  ;  iv.  I  f.).  Furthermore,  the  author  of  the  book 
evidently  shared  the  ideas  characteristic  of  the  later  pro- 
phetic writers.     Under  this  head  are  to  be  noted,  the 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  201 

neglect  of  moral  considerations  (ii.  i/f.,  32;  iv.  16,  20), 
the  apocalyptic  character  of  the  representation  of  the 
day  of  Jehovah  (ii.  2,  10,  30  f. ;  iv.  Qff.),  and  the  promi- 
nence given  to  fasting  as  a  means  of  securing  the  divine 
favor  (i.  14;  ii.  15).  Joel,  therefore,  instead  of  preced- 
ing, must  have  followed  Amos,  and  that  after  an  interval 
of  perhaps  three  centuries. 

The  relative  age  of  the  two  books  having  been  deter- 
mined, a  further  comparison  of  their  contents  might  be 
postponed  until  the  writings  of  the  earlier  successors 
of  Amos  had  been  examined.  The  points  of  contact 
between  them,  however,  are  so  few,  that  they  may  as 
well  be  cited  before  the  subject  is  dismissed.  In  fact 
there  is  only  one  in  which  the  influence  of  Amos  is 
clearly  visible,  the  one  between  Joel  iv.  16  and  Am.  i.  2, 
to  which  attention  has  already  been  directed.  It  should 
further  be  observed,  that,  whereas  to  Amos  the  roar  of 
Jehovah  from  Zion  augurs  evil  to  the  Hebrews,  as  well 
as  their  lawless  neighbors,  to  Joel  it  means  a  world-wide 
convulsion  in  which  Jehovah  zuill  be  a  refuge  to  his 
people y  and  a  stronghold  to  the  cJdldren  of  Israel.  If 
Am.  ix.  13  is  genuine,  Joel  iv.  18  is  another  example  of 
the  same  sort ;  for  in  this  case,  also,  Joel  enlarges  upon 
the  thought  of  his  predecessor. 

The  book  of  Obadiah  probably  belongs  to  the  same 
period  with  that  of  Joel ;  but  there  is  no  evidence  that 
its  author  was  influenced  by  Amos,  unless  it  be  in  the 
similarity  between  Ob.  loff.  and  Am.  i.  11. 

The  first  of  the  prophets,  whose  date  is  undisputed, 
to  follow  Amos  is  Hosea.  That  Hosea  was  acquainted 
with  the  prophecies  of  his  predecessor,  appears  from 
iv.  15,  v.  8,  and  x.  5,  8,  where  he  adopts  the  changed 


202  AMOS. 

name  that  Amos  gave  to  Bethel  (v.  5),  and  from  viii.  14, 
where  he  quotes,  almost  verbatim,  Am.  ii.  5.  Less 
striking  is  the  resemblance  of  Hos.  iv.  i  to  Am.  iii.  i, 
etc.;  Hos.  iv.  3  to  Am.  viii.  8  and  ix.  5  ;  Hos.  vii.  10  to 
Am.  iv.  6;  Hos.  ix.  3  to  Am.  vii.  17;  Hos.  xii.  7  to 
Am.  viii.  5  ;  and  Hos.  xii.  10  to  Am.  ii.  10.  This,  at 
first  sight,  seems  to  have  been  the  extent  of  the  influ- 
ence of  Amos  upon  Hosea.  Indeed,  so  strong  is  the 
contrast  between  the  two  prophets  as  they  appear  in 
their  books,  that  one  is  tempted  to  doubt  the  reality  of 
any,  even  the  most  superficial  relation.  Thus,  e.g., 
Amos  emphasizes  Jehovah's  holiness ;  Hosea,  his  love. 
Moreover,  while  Amos,  in  his  denunciations,  deals  only 
with  concrete  sins,  Hosea  condemns  Israel  for  a  disloyal 
attitude  toward  their  God.  It  is,  however,  to  be  noticed 
that  the  difference  between  them  does  not  affect  the 
essential  doctrines  in  their  prophecies.  They  are  agreed 
that  Israel's  condition  is  one  of  alienation  from  Jehovah 
(Hos.  i.  2),  that,  therefore,  the  nation  as  a  nation  must 
perish  (Hos.  i.  4;  ix.  3,  17),  and  that  the  only  hope  of 
such  as  are  spared  is  in  Judah  and  the  house  of  David 
(Hos.  i.  7  ;  iii.  5).  So  thorough  agreement,  especially  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  Hosea  was  himself  of  the  northern 
kingdom;  indicates  that  this  prophet  was  powerfully 
influenced  by  the  shepherd  of  Tekoa. 

Chapters  ix.-xi.  of  Zechariah  have  been  supposed  to 
betray  that  they  were  written  before  the  fall  of  Samaria. 
If  they  were,  their  author  would  naturally  show  some 
acquaintance  with  the  prophesies  of  Amos.  The  first 
verses  of  ix.,  especially  4  and  5,  seem  to  betray  such  an 
influence.  Compare  also  x.  6  with  Am.  v.  1 5  and  x.  9 
with  Am.  ix.  9. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  203 

Of  all  the  prophets  the  one  most  nearly  related  to 
Amos  is  Isaiah.  Indeed,  although  the  latter  never 
really  quotes  the  former,  the  resemblance  between  the 
two  is  so  striking  that  Isaiah  may  be  called  a  second 
and  grander  Amos.  The  very  first  words  of  Isaiah 
remind  one  of  Amos ;  for  the  complaint  /  have  notir- 
isJicd  and  brought  up  children,  a7id  they  have  rebelled 
against  me,  is  but  a  variation  of  Am.  iii.  2  ;  and  there 
are  several  other  reminiscences  of  the  book  of  Amos  in 
the  same  chapter.  Compare,  e.g.,  v,  4  with  Am.  ii.  7 ; 
V.  7  with  Am.  iv.  w,  v.  Z  with  Am.  v.  2;  vv.  11  ff. 
with  Am.  V.  21  ff.  ;  z/.  16  f.  with  Am.  v.  14  f.  There 
are  equally  interesting  parallels  with  utterances  of  the 
earlier  prophet  in  other  parts  of  Isaiah's  book.  Thus, 
e.g.,  the  abrupt  arraignment  of  the  daughters  of  Zion 
(Isa.  iii.  16  ff.)  was  evidently  suggested  by  Am.  iv.  i  ff. ; 
the  woes  of  Isa.  v.  8  ff.  and  x.  i  ff.  recall  those  of  Am. 
v.  and  vi.  ;  the  strophes  of  Isa.  v.,  ix.,  and  x.  correspond 
with  those  of  Am.  iv.  6  ff.  ;  and,  finally,  the  oracles  of 
Isa.  XV.  ff.  against  the  neighbors  of  the  Hebrews  seem 
modeled  after  those  of  Am.  i.  f. 

There  is  no  essential  difference  between  the  theology 
of  Isaiah  and  that  of  Amos.  The  two  prophets  agree 
in  representing  Jehovah  as  requiring  of  his  people  a 
merely  civil  righteousness.  Isaiah  lays  less  stress  than 
Amos  on  the  divine  mercy  and  long-suffering,  probably 
because  he  regarded  as  final  the  predictions  of  the 
latter,  especially  respecting  the  fate  of  Israel.  Isaiah, 
however,  goes  far  beyond  his  predecessor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  certain  of  their  ideas.  Thus,  e.g.,  while  Amos 
merely  refers  to  the  holiness,  i.e.  the  awe-inspiring 
majesty  of  Jehovah,  Isaiah  makes  this  the  most  strik- 


204  AMOS. 

ing  feature  of  his  representation  of  the  Deity.  See 
especially  Isa.  vi.  and  the  name,  the  Holy  One  of  Isi'ael 
{or  Jacob)}  which  is  used  interchangeably  With  Jehovah 
and  the  God  of  Israel  (xxix.  19,  23).  The  doctrine  of 
the  remnant  is  the  best  example  of  the  statement  above 
made.  This  was  distinctly  stated  by  Amos  and  adopted 
by  Isaiah.  Moreover,  Isaiah  clung  to  it  when  there 
seemed  absolutely  no  prospect  of  its  realization.  In 
fact  the  darker  the  outlook,  the  more  brightly  he  painted 
the  future  of  his  people.  Finally,  the  representative 
of  the  house  of  David  of  his  visions  became  little  short 
of  a  divine  incarnation  (ix.  6  f. ;  xi.  i  ff.),  and  his  realm 
embraced  the  earth,  restored  to  Edenic  purity  and  fruit- 
fulness  (iv.  2  ;  xi.  6  ff.  ;  xxxii.).^ 

The  book  of  Micah  reminds  one  of  both  Amos  and 
Isaiah.  The  style,  like  that  of  the  book  of  Amos,  is 
strikingly  picturesque.  It  abounds  in  comparisons,  and 
these  comparisons  are  of  the  kind  that  were  to  be  ex- 
pected of  one  born  and  bred,  as  were  Amos  and  Micah, 
in  the  country.  See  i.  4,  6,  8,  16  ;  ii.  12  ;  iii.  12 ;  iv.  12  ; 
V.  'jy'^\  vii.  I,  4,  17.  The  humble  origin  of  the  author 
seems  to  be  indicated  also  by  the  fact  that  like  Amos  he 
directs  his  denunciations  especially  against  the  rich  and 
the  great.  See  iii.  i  ff.,  9  ff . ;  vi.  12 ;  vii.  3.  In  a  few 
passages  the  language  seems  to  betray  the  influence  of 
the  book  of  Amos.  Compare  Mic.  i.  3  with  Am.  iv.  13  ; 
Mic.  ii.  3  with  Am.  iii.   i   and  v.   13;    Mic.  iii.  2  with 

1  i.  4;  V.  19,  24;  X.  17,  20;  xii.  6;  xvii.  7;  xxix.  19,  23;  xxx.  II,  12, 
15;  xxxi.  I. 

2  The  above  comparison  is  based  on  the  prophecies  generally  attributed 
to  Isaiah,  viz.  Isa.  i.-xxxiii.,  except  xiii.-xiv.  23  and  xxiv.-xxvii.  See 
Driver,  Introduction.  In  the  remaining  portions  of  Isa.  i.-xxxix  there  are 
no  clear  traces  of  the  influence  of  Amos. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  205 

Am,  V.  15  ;  Mic.  iii.  9  with  Am.  v.  10;  Mic.  iii.  ii  with 
Am.  viii.  5  ;  and  Mic.  vi.  15  with  Am.  v.  11.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  nearly  all  of  the  coincidences  with  the  book 
of  Amos  are  found  in  the  first  three  chapters  of  that 
of  Micah.  The  ideas  of  these  chapters  also  harmonize 
with  those  found  in  Amos'  prophecies.  The  contents 
of  the  remaining  chapters  are  evidently  the  product  of 
a  more  advanced  stage  in  the  progress  of  revelation ;  a 
stage  more  advanced  than  even  that  represented  by 
Isaiah.  Micah,  for  instance,  if  he  is  the  author  of 
these  chapters,  like  Isaiah,  agrees  with  Amos  in  con- 
demning as  worthless  ceremonial  observances,  but  he 
surpasses  both  of  them  in  his  statement  of  Jehovah's 
requirements  (vi.  6  ff.).  In  his  doctrine  of  the  remnant, 
too,  are  found  some  new  features.  Amos  and  Isaiah 
distinguish  two  classes,  the  sinners  and  the  righteous, 
condemning  the  former  to  destruction,  and  promising 
the  latter  final  deliverance  (Am.  ix.  9;  Isa.  iii.  10  f.). 
Micah  finds  his  whole  people,  in  one  degree  or  another, 
guilty  before  Jehovah  (vii.  2,  9).  Those,  therefore,  to 
whom  he  promises  a  share  in  Israel's  glorious  future 
are  such  as,  having  been  humbled  by  chastisement 
(vii.  9)  and  forgiven  their  iniquities  (vii.  18),  are  spared 
for  the  sake  of  the  covenant  between  Jehovah  and 
their  fathers  (vii.  20).  In  view  of  the  development  in 
these  directions  it  seems  strange  that  Micah  remains 
behind  Isaiah  in  his  conception  of  the  extent  of  Messiah's 
Kingdom.  True,  he  quotes,  as  is  generally  supposed, 
the  magnificent  passage  from  an  unknown  prophet 
(iv.  I  ff.)  with  which  Isaiah  attempted  to  inspire  his 
contemporaries  (ii.  2  ff.),  but  it  seems  to  have  had  no 
influence  upon  his  own  imagination,  since  he  everywhere 


206  AMOS. 

else  represents  the  dominion  of  the  new  David  as  con- 
fined to  the  Promised  Land  (vii.  14),  as  Amos  does  in 
his  prophecies  (ix.  12).^ 

The  books  of  Nahum  and  Habakkuk  present  no 
points  of  contact  with  the  prophecies  of  Amos. 

Zephaniah  was  a  disciple  of  Isaiah,  but  there  are  two 
or  three  passages  in  his  book  which  seem  to  betray  an 
acquaintance  with  that  of  Amos.  Compare  Zeph  i.  13 
with  Am.  V.  II  ;  Zeph.  i.  15  with  Am.  v.  20;  Zeph.  ii.  4 
with  Am.  i.  7  f . ;  and  Zeph.  ii.  8  with  Am.  i.  13. 

The  last  three  chapters  of  the  book  of  Zechariah, 
which,  by  many,  are  supposed  to  have  been  written 
shortly  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  have  still 
less  in  common  with  the  book  of  Amos,  but  perhaps 
Zech.  xii.  i  may  have  been  suggested  by  Am.  iv.  13, 
Zech.  xii.  10  by  Am.  viii.  10,  and  Zech.  xiii.  5  by 
Am.  vii.   14. 

Jeremiah  is  more  nearly  related  to  Hosea  than  to 
Amos.  The  fact  strikes  one  as  one  begins  his  book ; 
for  in  the  second  chapter  {v.  2)  he  adopts  the  very 
figure  under  which  Hosea  (ii.  15  f.)  represents  the 
relation  between  Jehovah  and  the  Hebrews,  that  of 
wedlock ;  and  he  frequently  returns  to  it  in  his  subse- 
quent prophecies.  Like  Hosea,  therefore,  he  pleads 
with  his  people  to  return  to  Jehovah,  and,  like  Hosea, 
he  hopes  to  the  last  that  they  will  heed  his  warnings 
and  accept  the  forgiveness  of  their  God.  Jeremiah 
resembles  Hosea  also  in  that  much  as  he  differs  from 
Amos  in  more  essential  characteristics,  he  frequently 

1  The  above  discussion  must  have  suggested  doubts  as  to  the  genuine- 
ness of  parts  of  the  book  of  Micah.  The  question  is  one  of  so  great 
difficulty  that  critics  have  not  yet  been  able  to  reach  an  agreement  con- 
cerning it.     See  Driver,  Introduction ;  Cornill,  Einleitung. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  207 

adopts  the  form  or  language  of  the  prophecies  of  the 
shepherd  of  Tekoa.  In  fact,  there  is  none  of  the 
prophets  who  betrays  a  better  acquaintance  with  Amos 
than  Jeremiah.  There  are  several  more  or  less  exact 
quotations  from  the  book  of  Amos  in  that  of  Jeremiah. 
Thus  Jer.  xvii.  27  is  clearly  based  upon  Am.  ii.  5 ; 
xlix.  27  upon  Am.  i.  4  (see  Jer.  xxi.  14;  1.  32) ;  xxi.  10 
upon  Am.  ix.  4  (see  Jer.  xxiv.  6;  xxxix.  16;  xliv.  11)  ; 
XXV.  30  upon  Am.  i.  2  (see  Joel  iv.  16) ;  Jer.  xlvi.  6  upon 
Am.  ii.  14;  Jer.  xlvi.  7  upon  Am.  viii.  8;  and  xlviii.  7 
and  xlix.  3  upon  Am.  i.  15.  In  a  number  of  other  pas- 
sages there  are  probably  references  to  expressions  used 
by  Amos.  Compare  Jer.  ii.  10  with  Am.  vi.  2  ;  Jer.  iv.  28 
with  Am.  viii.  8;  Jer.  v.  12  with  Am.  ix.  10;  Jer. 
V.  31  with  Am.  iv.  5  ;  Jer.  vi.  6  with  Am.  iii.  9  ;  Jer.  vi.  26 
with  Am.  viii.  10 ;  Jer.  ix.  16  with  Am.  ix.  4;  Jer.  xiv.  12 
with  Am.  V.  22  ;  Jer.  xvii.  16  with  Am.  vii.  15  and  v.  18  ; 
Jer.  xxi.  12  with  Am.  v.  6;  Jer.  xxiv.  6  with  Am.  ix.  15 
(see  Jer.  xxxi.  40  ;  xxxii.  41)  ;  Jer.  xxxi.  6  with  Am.  vi.  i ; 
Jer.  xlviii.  45  with  Am.  ii.  2  and  Ii.  14  with  Am.  vi.  18 
(see  Jer.  xlix.  13).  In  this  connection  mention  should 
be  made  of  certain  expressions  peculiar  to  Amos  and 
Jeremiah.  One  of  these  is  Virgin  Israel}  which  is  not 
found  elsewhere  in  the  Old  Testament.  The  phrase, 
days  are  coming}  is  not  used  by  any  of  the  other 
prophets.  The  same  is  true  with  one  exception  (Hos. 
xii.   6)   of  Jehovah,  the   God  of  Hosts?    Jeremiah  also 

1  h)X'W'  nbinS  Am.  V.  i;   Jer.  xviii.  13;  xxxi.  4,  21. 

2  D''Ki  D'tt"*,  Am.  iv.  2;  viii.  11 ;  ix.  13;  Jer.  vii.  32;  ix.  24;  xvi.  14; 
xix.  6;  xxiii.  5,  7;  xxx.  3;  xxxi.  27,31,38;  xxxiii.  14;  xlviii.  12;  xlix.  2; 
Ii.  47,  52. 

8  mKn2:(n)  ^rh^  m.T,  Am.  v.  15,  16,  27;  vi.  8,  14;  jer.  V.  14;  XV.  16; 
XXXV.  17;  xxxviii.  17. 


208  AMOS. 

imitates  Amos  in  the  use  of  the  formulas  Jehovah  is  his 
(my)  na77zey  and  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  his  name}  which 
with  a  single  exception  (Ex.  xv.  3)  occur  elsewhere  only 
in  deutero-Isaiah.2  Finally,  the  influence  of  Amos  may 
be  traced  in  the  descriptions  of  Jehovah's  power  with 
which  Jeremiah  sometimes  seeks  to  increase  the  effect 
of  his  utterances^  and  the  visions  which  occur  in  his 
prophecies.^  If  there  is  any  doctrine  in  which  there  is 
a  striking  agreement  between  Jeremiah  and  Amos,  it  is 
that  concerning  the  value  of  ceremonial  observances. 
On  this  point,  however,  Isaiah  and  Micah  are  quite  as 
radical  as  Amos,  hence  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  such 
passages  as  Jer.  iii.  16;  vi.  20;  vii.  21  f.  ;  and  xiv.  12 
indicate  a  peculiar  relation  between  the  last-named 
prophet  and  Jeremiah. 

There  is  little  in  the  book  of  Ezekiel  to  show  that 
he  was  acquainted  with  the  prophecies  of  Amos.  There 
is,  however,  one  chapter,  the  twenty-fifth,  in  which 
there  is  evidently  an  attempt  to  imitate  the  strophical 
arrangement  of  Amos'  arraignment  of  the  nations. 
Compare  also  Eze.  vi.  8  with  Am.  ix.  9 ;  Eze.  vii.  2,  6 
with  Am.  viii.  2;  Eze.  xxviii.  18  with  Am.  i.  10,  and 
Eze.  xxxv.  5  with  Am.  i.  11. 

The  office  of  deutero-Isaiah  was  to  comfort  and  not 
to  condemn.     One  ought  not,  therefore,  to  expect  to 

1  The  former  occurs  Am.  v.  8;  ix.  6;  Jer.  xvi.  21 ;  xxxiii.  2;  the  latter 
is  not  found  in  the  book  of  Amos.  In  its  stead  the  God  of  Hosts  is  his 
name  appears,  v.  27,  and  Jehovah  the  God  of  Hosts  is  his  name,  iv.  13.  It 
is  found  in  Jeremiah  x.  16;  xxxi.  34;  xxxii.  18;  xlvi.  18;  xlviii.  15  ;  1.  34; 

li.  19.  57- 

2  See  xlii.  8;  xlvii.  4;  xlviii.  2;  li.  15;  liv.  5. 

3  See,  e.g.,  v.  22  ff. ;  x.  12  f.;   xxxi.  35  ;  xxxii.  17  f. ;  li.  15  f. 
*  Seei.  II  f.;   13  flf.;  xxiv.  i  ff. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  STUDIES.  209 

find  many  points  of  contact  between  him  and  Amos. 
There  is,  in  fact,  but  one  respect  in  which  there  may- 
be said  to  be  a  resemblance  between  them.  Both 
incline  to  reinforce  their  prophecies  by  references  to 
the  power  and  majesty  of  Jehovah.  In  the  case  of 
deutero-Isaiah,  however,  it  is  always  promises  of  deliv- 
erance and  not  threats  of  destruction,  to  which  these 
references  are  attached. ^  The  formula  Jehovah  of  Hosts 
is  his  name  already  noticed  serves  a  similar  purpose. 
There  are  few,  if  any,  other  coincidences  in  language. 
The  nearest  approach  to  a  quotation  is  Isa.  Ixv.  21, 
which  may  have  been  suggested  by  Am.  ix.  14.  Isa. 
xlv.  23  also  reminds  one  of  Am.  vi.  8;  Isa.  Iviii.  12 
and  Ixi.  14  of  Am.  ix.  14 ;  and  Isa.  Ixvi.  16  of  Am.  vii.  4. 

The  prophet  Haggai  (ii.  17)  quotes  Am.  iv.  9. 

The  first  eight  chapters  of  the  book  of  Zechariah  con- 
tain several  visions,^  some  of  which,  like  those  in  the 
book  of  Jeremiah,  seem  imitations  of  the  style  of  Amos. 
See  iv.  i  £f.  and  v.  i  ff. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  book  of  Malachi,  unless  it  be 
the  single  passage  i.  12  (compare  Am.  ii.  7),  to  indicate 
that  its  author  was  influenced  by  Amos. 

The  book  of  Jonah,  whose  date  is  uncertain,  but  is 
probably  post-exilic,  contains  no  references  to  that  of 
Amos. 

The  above  review  and  comparison  shows  that  Amos 
must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  proph- 
ets, since  nearly  all  of  the  later  ones  were  more  or  less 
influenced  by  him,  and  the  greatest  among  them,  Isaiah 
and  Jeremiah,  were  most  indebted  to  his  prophecies. 

1  xl.  12 ff.;  xlii.  5;  xliv.  24;  xlv.  7,  12,  18;  xlviii.  12  f.;  1.  2  f.;  Ii.  13. 
M.  8ff.;  ii.  I  ff.;  iv.  iff.;  v.  i  ff.,  5  ff. 


ADDENDA. 

Page  24,  n.  Cheyne,  in  his  introduction  to  the  second 
edition  of  W.  R.  Smith's  Prophets  of  Israel,  rejects  ii.  4  f., 
and  G.  A.  Smith  suspects  the  genuineness  of  both  this 
and  i.  1 1  f . ;  but  Driver  defends  them  both  {Joel  and 
Amos,  117).  Other  passages  rejected  by  Cheyne  are 
i.  2;  iv.  13;  V.  8f.,  26;  viii.  iif. ;  ix.  5  f.,  8-15.  G.  A. 
Smith  questions  the  genuineness  also  of  iv.  13 ;  v.  8  f., 
14  f. ;  vi.  2  ;  viii.  13  ;  ix.  5  f . ;  and  denies  that  of  ix.  8-15. 
Driver  is  as  conservative  with  reference  to  these  pas- 
sages as  in  the  case  of  the  first  mentioned. 

Pages  136  ff.  The  last  seven  verses  of  the  fifth 
chapter  still  continue  to  have  especial  interest  for  bibli- 
cal scholars.  The  following  are  some  of  the  more  recent 
results  of  the  attention  given  them  :  — 

In  the  Journal  of  Biblical  Literatitre  for  1894  Torrey 
suggests,  —  and  the  suggestion  is  adopted  by  Cheyne 
in  the  Expositor  iox  January,  1897,  —  that  in  v.  26  the 
vowels  of  the  words  rilIDD  {sikkiitJi),  and  JV^  {kiyyun), 
were  borrowed  from  pptT  {shikkns\  abomination,  a 
word  which  has  been  substituted  for  another  designa- 
tion for  a  false  god  in  i  Kings  xi.  5,  and  elsewhere  in 
the  Old  Testament. 

Torrey  and  Cheyne,  it  will  be  observed,  regard  the 
words  in  question  as  proper  names.  Not  so  Schmidt  in 
the  same  volume  of  the  Joiirnal.  For  niDD  he  reads 
n^D  {snkkath),   the  construct  of  HIDD  {sukkah),   taber- 


ADDENDA.  211 

nacle,  and  JV^  he  renders  image.  He  further,  with 
Wellhausen,  omits  ^313  {kokebh),  star,  and  DS^DSiC 
(salhnekheni),  your  images,  but  retains  the  rest  of  the 
verse,  giving  to  the  introductory  1  a  coordinate  sense, 
and  obtaining  the  following  result :  — 

Did  ye  bring  me  sacrifices  and  meal  offerings  in  the 
wilderness  forty  years ,  O  house  of  Israel  ? 

Did  ye  then  carry  about  the  tabernacle  of  your  king,  the 
image  of  yonr  god  wJiicJi  ye  have  7nade  for  yourselves  ? 

He  supposes  that  Amos  here  wishes  to  impress  his 
contemporaries  with  the  uselessness  of  their  processions, 
as  well  as  their  sacrifices,  in  honor  of  Jehovah.  The 
interpretation  is  an  interesting  one,  but  it  puts  a  severe 
strain  on  the  connective. 

Francis  Brown,  in  his  Hebrew  Dictionary,  under  nn3tt 
{minhah),  suggests  an  emendation  for  v.  22  which  is 
worthy  of  consideration ;  but  if,  as  he  proposes,  T\jT^ 
(^oloih),  burnt  offerings,  be  omitted  as  a  gloss,  it  would 
seem  necessary  also  to  drop  nn3^  {minhah\  vegetable 
offering,  from  v.  25,  which,  however,  would  then  be 
rather  short  for  the  connection. 

Page  141.  For  ^2pi  {ji^kubhe),  noted,  Torrey  proposes 
to  read  ISpU  (}iiJfphu),  go  round,  suggested  by  the  ren- 
dering of  the  Septuagint ;  thus  getting,  for  the  whole 
verse,  Woe  to  tJie  easy-going  in  Zio7i,  and  the  confident  in 
Samaria  !  Make  the  round  of  the  foremost  natiojis,  and 
come  to  them,  house  of  Israel ! 

Page  175.  Most  later  critics,  as  has  been  indicated, 
pronounce  the  last  eight  verses  of  the  book  ungenuine, 
an  attempt  to  lighten  the  gloom  of  the  preceding  pre- 
dictions ;  but  Torrey  maintains  that  vv.  8-10,  except  Sb 
and  9^/3  must  be  attributed  to  Amos  {JBLy  XV.  153  f.). 


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